


Give It A Go

by thewildtype



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Feels, But like a normal amount, Eventual Smut, F/F, Gay Panic, It's all about the YEARNING, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strangers to Lovers, Warning: mentions of heterosexuality, gay staring, oh yeah soccer!Jamie is here now just picture that for a moment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:02:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 39,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28208763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewildtype/pseuds/thewildtype
Summary: “Hi! You don’t know me, but my ex is coming over here. So, I’m gonna need you to make out with me like right now.”“Blimey!”“Is that a yes?”ORThe College AU staring soccer star Jamie and Dani "I still haven't declared a major" Clayton
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 190
Kudos: 583





	1. Why Hello There Stranger

Dani frantically rummaged through her wardrobe desperate to throw together a semi-decent costume. Determined not to spend any of her remaining funds slapping together an outfit she would only wear once just to attend a party she didn’t want to go to in the first place. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t decline the invitation. Not this time.

Hannah had been gushing about the party tonight literally all week insisting she had to come out with her. Dani didn’t have the heart to fight her this time. Her best friend was just concerned. After all, Dani had been living quite the reclusive life recently. Solitude was the only thing keeping her sane in the aftermath of her disastrous break-up. While her change in lifestyle was free of unnecessary drama and heartache, fully embracing her inner spinster over the past semester made the worry lines a permanent fixture on Hannah's forehead. For the sake of her best friend's well being, Dani agreed to leave the safe haven of their dorm room for this one evening and accompany Hannah to a campus party.

She settled on an ensemble consisting of a navy-blue long coat, semi-functioning umbrella, flat top hat she adorned with a few flowers, leather boots, white gloves, white button down with an accompanying red bow tie, and a long puffy red scarf. She looked like an out of work, Mary Poppins knockoff. Whatever, it would do.

She had no one to impress.

Hannah practically skipped all the way to the party. To her credit, she really was trying her best to hype up the event. Dani suspected Hannah’s enthusiasm had nothing to do with the warm cheap beer from a keg, nor the fit jocks shouting _oorah_ and crushing beer cans on their foreheads, and everything to with the attendance of Hannah’s not so secret crush, Owen Sharma. It was sweet how smitten her friend was. Hannah deserved her chance at love. Dani, however, was in no way seeking that particular four-letter word anytime soon.

Within minutes of arriving, Owen found Hannah. He whisked her away into the heart of the festivities leaving Dani to fend for herself. She poured herself a beer from the keg and then maneuvered her way through the throngs of people into the living room where she assumed her position as wallflower. She took sips from her plastic cup as she watched her peers celebrate their inebriated freedom. The rowdy collegiates were engaged in drinking games, shouting matches over the blaring music that in any other setting would have been regular conversations, and various forms of groping masquerading as dancing. In all honesty, this wasn’t the worst party she had ever been to. People watching kept her pleasantly occupied well into her second beer. As she placed her empty cup on shelf, she spotted her ex lurking on the perimeter of the crowd.

Panic took hold the second his eyes settled on her from across the room.

She knew she had to do something, anything, and fast! In a state of despair, she grabbed the arm of the person standing next to her tugging until they were standing in front of her. She was met with confused green eyes and an amused smile.

Dani blurted out the first solution that came to mind.

“Hi! You don’t know me, but my ex is coming over here. So, I’m gonna need you to make out with me like right now.”

“Blimey!” Said the bewildered stranger shooting her eyes up in surprise. Dani knew she was being way more aggressive than she normally would be, but right now she didn’t have time for logic.

This was pre-emptive damage control.

“Is that a yes?” Dani asked peering over the brunette woman’s shoulder. Eddie was only a few feet away, approaching quickly. The young woman must have picked up on Dani’s state of desperation. She nodded firmly. Without wasting another second, Dani grabbed the young woman by the overall straps pulling her in and crashing their lips together.

At first, the kiss was a disaster.

It was all clashing teeth and awkward head movements, but, after a few seconds, they settled into a natural rhythm. An ebb and flow of plush lips sliding and pushing. She never intended the kiss to become heated so quickly. In fact, she wasn’t planning on kissing anyone _at all,_ but god, impulsively making out with this woman was the best thing she’s done in months.

It was good.

Like _really_ good.

Dani practically whined in protest when the other woman pulled away effectively breaking their kiss.

“Are you in the clear?” The brunette asked with rosy cheeks. She was panting along with Dani trying to reintroduce oxygen into her lungs, giving Dani an opportunity to actually get a good look at her.

The woman was _really_ attractive.

Somehow, she managed to make overalls, a white t-shirt, and gardening boots look sexy.

Her piercing eyes were a deep shade of green akin to an enchanted forest she could easily get lost in. There was a noticeable twinkle from the tacky stream of holiday lights hanging from the ceiling, adding a shimmer to her eyes that made them all the more captivating. Dani’s fingers itched to trace her fingers along her strong jawline and burry her hands in her thick auburn curls. Dani’s eyes honed in on her lips. They were a bit fuller than they were a moment ago and practically beckoning to be kissed.

Ugh, that kiss.

She was a damn fine kisser. Dani could personally attest to that, shout it loudly from any roof top!

She briefly wondered what else this woman was capable of.

Dani subtly shook her head to derail that particular line of thought.

Perhaps her recent single life left her with more pent-up sexual energy than she realized. Plus, the alcohol coursing through her body from her two beers was not helping rein in her building desires.

“I’m not sure.” Dani whispered through labored breathes.

She scanned the room. No sign of Eddie. A part of her was relieved, but another part of her, one that was growing stronger by the second, was disappointed she no longer had an excuse to monopolize the hot stranger’s time.

“Better keep goin’ just to be sure, don’t you think?” The attractive woman said. Her thick British drawl and crooked smile made Dani’s heart pick up its pace.

She smiled moving her hands to the back of the brunette’s neck pulling her in and reattaching their lips. The clamor of the party faded into a distant hum the instant they connected. All Dani could hear, feel, and taste was this magnificent stranger.

This kiss was less messy, more controlled.

The wet heat of the brunette’s tongue grazed her bottom lip. Dani released a low moan in response. She eagerly met the touch. Now they were kissing deeper. Strong hands along her hips guided her backwards as if they were engaged in an unspoken dance. She followed step by step until her back was met with a cool hard surface. Soon, she was engulfed by a warm, study body pressed against her front.

It was ridiculously _hot_.

They fit together. Melted into one another.

Dani’s hands moved of their own accord. Unthreading from soft curls, down along the expanse of her slender neck, settling on strong shoulders. She clawed into the taut muscles through the thin layer of cotton eliciting a low grunt from the young woman. Her response to each kiss and every touch only spurred Dani on more.

She felt powerful and, oddly, in control. It was a new feeling. An emboldening one at that. One she wanted to embrace fully for as long as this attractive stranger would allow which as it turned out was for quite a long time.

When they finally parted for air, Dani’s mind was clouded. Slowly her tunneled senses broadened. The noise of her rowdy inebriated peers fully registered along with the realization they were on full display in front of a crowd of people. Dani snapped her back into her senses. She took a quick glance around.

Thankfully, still no Eddie.

Dani was truly in the clear, which meant she no longer had an excuse to occupy this stranger. She reluctantly released her hold on the beautiful woman, already missing the warmth of her body.

“Thank you for… your services.” Dani managed to squeak out.

“The pleasure was all mine, Poppins.” The raspy tone of the woman’s voice was so distracting, Dani almost missed the peculiar nickname. She furrowed her brows in confusion. The brunette simply responded by quirking an eyebrow and then proceeded to look her up and down.

Then it clicked. Her costume.

“Oh, right! Well, I better let you get back to your evening... gardener.” Dani commented, scanning the brunette up and down for good measure.

The gardener chuckled. The melodic sound elicited a swooping sensation in the pit of Dani’s stomach. Maybe this woman was into her after all.

The prospect was both terrifying and exciting.

“You could,” The gardener began, “Or, you know, we could go somewhere quieter. Get to know each other better. Maybe startin’ with our first names?”

Dani couldn’t help the giddy smile from spreading across her face. “I’d like that.”

The gardener returned her smile, then interlaced their fingers and lead her towards the back door. Dani was pretty sure in that moment that she would blindly follow this woman anywhere if it meant more steamy make out sessions.

Hannah was right. She really _needed_ to get out more often.

The cool gust of air as they stepped on to the balcony was a welcomed relief. The fog in her mind dissipating with each breath of sobering fresh air.

The gardener closed the door behind them drowning out the ruckus from the party in an instant.

It was a more secluded setting than the cramped interior of the apartment. The balcony was vacant of any other people and the soft light of the crescent moon provided a more intimate feeling. It was the perfect location to have a conversation.

Both women stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

A nervous buzzing energy coursed through Dani’s veins. She was acutely aware they were alone despite the fact that she just had her tongue down this woman’s throat only a few minutes ago. Dani swallowed the lump in the back of her throat bracing herself to make the first move.

“I’m Dani.” She said locking eyes with the captivating stranger.

“I’m Jamie.”

Dani's mind replayed the name "Jamie" on a loop. Memorizing every sweet syllable.

“So Dani,” Jamie continued, pulling Dani back to reality, “do you want to tell me what that was all about in there? Not that I minded.” Jamie flashed a disarming yet cheeky grin with her hands up in surrender.

Dani let out a heavy sigh.

“Yes, I owe you an explanation.” Dani placed her forearms along the railing. She stared off into the distance. Her vision focusing on nothing in particular. “Um, well, to put it briefly, my childhood best friend eventually became my boyfriend. He always wanted more. Made that very clear, but I never did. I didn’t know how to tell him that without hurting him. I was so scared of losing him from my life all together. So, the relationship went on for far longer than it should have.” Dani picked at her nails to dispel her nerves as she continued, “I finally ended it a few months ago and he-he just refuses to accept this is what I want. Refuses to accept we are over. To him, this is a problem we can fix.” She exhaled with a shaky breath as she relived her torment. “So, I’ve been avoiding him. Until my roommate dragged me to this party tonight. I just didn’t want to have the same conversation and the exact same argument _again_. I’m so tired of it. I just want it to stop. So, I figured if he saw me with someone else then he would leave me be and accept I’ve moved on.” Dani dared to meet Jamie’s gaze, “That’s where you came in.”

Usually, when Dani unloaded her emotional baggage she was met with pity. Instead, Jamie was taking in what she said. Returning a look of understanding and compassion.

It was refreshing.

Jamie approached her. “That’s an awful lot for one person to go through.”

“Yeah.” Dani agreed. She felt like a weight had been lifted just saying it all out loud.

Jamie stood next to her, leaning back against the railing. “How do you feel now?”

Dani stared into Jamie’s eyes. Losing herself in them for the second time that night.

“Much better.” Dani admitted, returning Jamie’s smile. She leaned in close giving into the overwhelming urge to kiss her again.

The sliding glass door whooshed open. Dani and Jamie sprung apart, startled by the sudden noise. All previous feelings of safety vanished the second Eddie crossed the threshold into their private haven.

Dani instinctively took a step towards Jamie.

“Dani, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Eddie exclaimed as he rushed towards her. He paused when he finally noticed Jamie. “We should really talk.” He eyed Jamie up and down as if silently ordering her to take the hint and leave. Fortunately, Jamie did not leave her side. She only gravitated closer to Dani.

“I-I don’t h-have anything left to say.” Dani stuttered unable to escape her crippling anxiety.

“Sure you do!” Eddie bellowed. The heightened volume caused Dani to jump in surprise. “I know we can work this out like always. We just need to talk this out! _Privately_.” The shift in tone from whiny shouting to menacing growl made Dani’s skin crawl. Icy dread coursed through her veins as his body shifted, squaring himself in front of Jamie. He towered over her trying to look intimidating. He never took his eyes off the brunette.

Unphased, Jamie wrapped her arm over Dani’s shoulder pulling Dani into her body protectively.

“Give it up mate. It’s over.” Jamie growled in response.

Dani’s heart missed an entire beat when Eddie took a step towards them. Instinctively, Jamie moved in front of Dani shielding Dani with her body. The hairs on her neck stood at attention with the realization they were trapped. The only viable exit was behind Eddie’s broad body.

Before their dire situation could escalate into anything more, Owen and a group of people rushed through the door onto the balcony.

“Is there a problem here?” Owen asked, eyes darting between Eddie and the girls.

“No problem,” Eddie said taking a step back and relaxing his posture, “Just a couple of guests having a conversation. No big deal.”

Jamie shook her head. “Wrong again mate. For the record this is _my party_ and you’ve been harassin’ _my date_ all night.” Dani felt her cheeks flush at Jamie’s causal use of the word date. The fact that she said it loud enough for Eddie to hear coupled with his grimace and Jamie’s cocky smile when she said it, were just an added bonus. “From where I’m standin’, it’s a bloody big deal.” Jamie stated-matter-of factly.

Feeling emboldened by Jamie’s transition into protective date, Dani wrapped her arm around Jamie’s waist pulling their sides flush together. Eddie stared at Dani with one final silent plea hovering between them. She stood her ground next to Jamie, tightening her grip. When it was painfully obvious Dani wasn’t going anywhere with him, Eddie huffed and stormed back into the apartment. Owen and his friends followed suit after Jamie reassured them all that the two of them were just fine.

Once they were alone, Dani relented her iron grip on Jamie’s waist. She buried her face in her hands apologizing profusely for crashing Jamie’s party.

“I didn’t know this was _your_ party. Wow, I'm such an idiot! I forced you to make out with me then my ex practically threatened you-”

“Whoa, whoa there Poppins.” Jamie grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face. Dani blinked a few times, bringing Jamie’s concerned face into focus. “First of all, you didn’t force me to do anythin’. It’s not every day a beautiful woman insists on snoggin’ me out of the blue. So, on that account alone, I’d reckon you were the highlight of the party.” Dani’s cheeks began to burn at Jamie’s admission that their attraction was mutual. She laced their fingers together, squeezing Jamie’s hand encouraging her to continue. “Besides, I’d happily get in the middle of whatever that creep was plannin’ on doin’ with you _anytime_. You’re too good for that shite.”

Dani leaned in and briefly captured Jamie’s lips trying to pour every ounce of gratitude into it.

“Thank you, Jamie. Really, I don’t know what I would have done without you tonight. Is there some way I can make it up to you?”

“I reckon there is." Jamie began with a playful smile, "I play on the woman’s football team. There is a tradition here at Bly University among the football teams. Whenever the woman’s side wins a game, the men's team throws a party in celebration. When they win. We host the party. The guys added another game to their winning streak today, hence the party we are at now. It was my turn to host it this time.”

“So, this is your apartment?” Dani asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“Got it. Did you want me to help clean up after the party?”

“That’s sweet of you, but not exactly what I had in mind.” Jamie bit her bottom lip, “See, we, my team that is, have a home game this Friday. If we win, that means another party. I was hopin' you could be my date.”

“Uh, yes. Absolutely! Um, you should probably have my number then, you know, so you can hold me accountable for this date.”

Jamie smiled handing over her phone. Dani typed in her number, grinning like a fool when she handed the it back.

“I'll hold you to that, Poppins.” Jamie promised with a crooked grin before pocketing the device in the front of her overalls.

"Dani, there you are!” Hannah exclaimed. She rushed over engulfing Dani in a hug, “Owen just told me what happened. I could kill Edmond with my own bare hands. Stupid, misguided fool.” Hannah released her hold. “That must have been an awful shock for you. Would you like me to walk you back to our room?”

“Uh, yeah that would be great it’s been,” Dani glanced at Jamie, “a night full of surprises.”

“Excellent.” Hannah said, she turned to Jamie, “Thank you for keeping her out of trouble.”

“Anytime.” Jamie admitted smiling fondly at Dani causing a swarm of butterflies to rattle around in her chest.

The two bid each other good night before Hannah and Dani took their leave of the party.

Dani crashed onto her bed the moment they arrived back at the dorm. Before her exhaustion took over completely, she fished her phone out of her coat pocket. The device lit up the instant she plugged it into the charging port notifying her of a new message from an unknown number.

 **Unknown 01:45:** _Hey Poppins, it’s Jamie. Wanted to make sure you made it back to your dorm in one piece._

A pleasant warmth radiated through Dani’s chest. She wasn’t expecting to hear from Jamie so soon after leaving the party. But then again, this woman was full of surprises and Dani was eager to discover every single one of them.

 **Dani 01:52:** _We made it back safe and sound. Thanks for checking up on me._

 **Jamie 01:54:** _Anytime :)_

She could picture Jamie’s adorable, crooked smile and her sparkling emerald eyes as if she were making her that promise right in front of her. Dani wracked her brain trying to come up with something clever to say back. A witty retort never came. Instead, she found herself fighting back a yawn.

 **Dani 01:57:** I may just hold you to that ;) _I’m off to bed now. I’m completely exhausted. Enjoy the rest of your party!_

 **Jamie 02:01:** _No promises since the life of the party is off to bed. Sweet dreams Poppins._

Dani was beyond thrilled at the continued attention from Jamie. She placed her phone on the nightstand to charge. She managed to shimmy out of most of her attire, too tired to bother fully undressing. Then, she forced herself to at least brush her teeth before climbing under the covers. Her body succumbed to sleep the instant her head hit the pillow as she drifted off into the most peaceful slumber she has had all semester.


	2. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie sorts through her budding feelings for Dani with insight from her two closest friends.

The soft morning light streaming in through the cracks of the blinds caused Jamie to stir. She had always been one to rise with the sun for as long as she could remember, but today the thought of getting out of the comfort of her bed seemed dreadful. So, she lied there contemplating sleeping through her morning classes to catch up on her rest and avoid the disaster zone that was her flat. The warmth of her blanket cocoon was a formidable temptress beckoning her to succumb to her wants and toss aside her needs. Jamie needed to be a responsible adult despite wanting desperately to blow off her duties. She really couldn’t afford any academic mishaps. Especially with finals creeping around the corner. If she could defeat this last obstacle in her path, she was sure to clinch straight A’s for the third semester in a row.

Ultimately, the needs won.

She slowly emerged from her toasty covers only to be met with a brisk chill in the air brushing along her bare arms and legs. The unwelcomed cold coupled with the dull pounding in her skull, an unpleasant reminder of the after math of the party last night, made her seriously reconsider her life choices.

Determined to crack on, Jamie padded into the bathroom as quickly as possible. She popped a few paracetamol tablets chasing the pain relivers with a glass of water before hopping into the shower. She felt better the longer she stood under the stream of warm water alleviating the soreness in her muscles from football practice and washing away the grime from last night. By the time she emerged from the shower she felt like a brand-new woman. The thrumming in her head finally faded away.

Jamie haphazardly towel dried her curls as she marched around her room throwing together a practical ensemble. Thankfully, her tight schedule dictated today’s outfit reducing the amount of brain power required to dedicate to her wardrobe.

Wednesdays were always a marathon. She was committed to back-to-back morning lectures leaving her little to no time before the start of football practice in the early afternoon. Efficiency was the key to survival on days like today. She opted to wear her practice kit to class consisting of a long sleeve royal blue t-shirt with the Bly University logo in gold block lettering and matching joggers. She packed her gym bag with her remaining football gear. After collecting her gym bag and backpack, she paused at the door for a brief moment, readying herself like a solider going into battle.

As expected, her apartment looked like a war zone. Red plastic cups in various states of gnarly were littered everywhere, a shimmery sheen of something sticky coated most surfaces including the floor, and the air retained the distinctive stench of stale beer and bottom shelf booze. Fortunately, she had an incredible roommate who was already hard at work cleaning the flat.

“Mornin’.” Jamie mumbled as she made her way to the kitchen grabbing a few plastic cups and tossing them in the trash heap along the way.

“Morning sunshine. This area is nearly spotless.” Rebecca said as she finished wiping off the lemon scented cleaner from the kitchen table.

“It looks good as new.” Jamie commented. She plopped her bags down on one of the empty chairs, “You didn’t have to do all the cleanin’ without me ya know.”

“I know.” Rebecca shrugged, “I just figured you’d still be busy with the blonde girl you disappeared with last night.” Her roommate added with a wink and a cheeky smirk on her face.

Jamie felt her cheeks burn at the mention of Dani. She quickly turned her back to Rebecca hoping she wouldn’t notice her blushing, “Hate to disappoint you but there are no other women here besides us.” Jamie busied herself by popping a couple of slices of bread into the toaster and placing water on the stove to boil. With breakfast in the works, Jamie turned her attention back to her roommate snatching the cleaning cloth from Rebecca’s clutches. She patted the empty chair at the table. “Take a break for breakfast Becs, I’ll take over.”

Rebecca frowned, reclaiming the loosely held towel from Jamie. “Nonsense, you’ve got classes this morning and I don’t.” She settled into her seat at the table, placing the cleaning rag off to the side within reach. “I’ll take care of the rest before practice, _but_ , since you are so determined to contribute, I will leave disinfecting the loo to you.”

“Fair.” Jamie added with a laugh. She proceeded to finish making breakfast while Rebecca relaxed. Jamie served them both a slice of toast along with an assortment of jam, two mugs, and a freshly brewed kettle of tea before settling into her own seat at the table.

She barely made it two bites into her toast before the subject of Dani came up again.

“I take it the sex with blondie was so bad she didn’t last the night?”

“No, nothin’ like that.” Jamie corrected. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she replayed the highlights from the prior evening with the stunning blonde in question. “Just a bit of snoggin’ and then we talked for a bit. That’s all.”

Rebecca paused mid sip of tea. Her face scrunched in confusion. “Really?”

“Yeah really. Her mental ex-boyfriend showed up and made a scene though. I was this close from knockin’ his lights out.” Jamie shuddered at the memory of Dani’s look of horror when he appeared and the terror in her voice. There was something about that guy that just didn’t sit right with her.

“I’m so glad you didn’t. Coach would have suspended you for fighting another student.” Rebecca added before draining the rest of her mug.

The comment left an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Jamie hadn’t considered the potential consequences of her actions before throwing herself into a quarrel.

“Yeah, well it didn’t.” She added trying to convince Rebecca, and possibly herself, that everything was going to be fine no matter what. “Besides, Owen and his impeccable timin’ made sure of that.”

“Still, it’s not like you. First you don’t out right sleep with this girl, you just kissed her and talked to her… If I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect you really like this one.”

Jamie tried her best not to squirm under her roommate’s scrutiny. “I barely know her enough to really like her. We just met.”

“You clearly like her enough to slug her ex on the spot.” Rebecca shook her head, releasing a heavy exhalation before continuing. “It’s just very unlike you, Jamie.”

The disappointed tone made Jamie feel foolish. Rebecca did have a point. It was a careless decision to get in the middle of couple drama with someone she hardly knew. Looking back on it now, Jamie realized she hadn’t been thinking at all. She was reacting to the situation driven by an overwhelming need to keep Dani safe. It wasn’t something she felt for many people. In fact, she could list the number of people she would consciously do that for on one hand.

Then why this instinct when it came to the stranger with wild blonde hair and deep blue eyes?

She was pulled from her internal turmoil, by a pair of steady hands squeezing her own on top of the wooden table along with a pair of sympathetic and concerned eyes.

“Please try not to any of this the wrong way.” Rebecca began, releasing her hold on Jamie’s hands. “I’m only looking out for you. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did with Peter. I was so caught up in him, so utterly consumed and carried away, that I lost myself. By the end of it I barely recognized my own behavior. Letting him get too close nearly cost me my scholarship. Hell, it could have cost me _everything_. Take it from me Jamie, now is not the time to fall prey to romance. We’ll have the rest of our lives to sort that out. For now, we need to buckle down and focus on acing our classes and winning football matches.”

Deep down Jamie knew Rebecca was right. Becoming distracting and losing her sports scholarship was something Jamie couldn’t afford. After all she personally witnessed Rebecca and Peter’s star-crossed relationship from start to finish. The entire ordeal took a heavy toll on her friend and took twice as long as the relationship lasted to pull her out of the post break up funk.

Still, Jamie wasn’t entirely convinced love was all to blame in this particular situation.

“I’m not sure your problem was romance, more like who you were romantic with. Peter is rubbish. Maybe you should think about hunkerin’ down with the lad you were snoggin’ last night.” Jamie caught Rebecca freeze out of the corner of her eye, “Or did you think I didn’t notice you sneak away with a blonde of your own?”

To her credit, Rebecca quickly recovered replacing her initial grimace with a smug expression, “He isn’t here right now is he? Get what you need and then get out. It’s the opportunist’s manifesto. Never steers you wrong.”

“Right. Have fun but not too much fun.” Echoing the sentiment aloud left a sour taste in Jamie’s mouth. Rebecca didn’t seem to notice her sudden discomfort, she only beamed from across the table. “Exactly! You better get a move on though before you’re late to class.”

Jamie took note of the time. She wolfed down the remainder of her breakfast, threw on her personalized football jacket with her name and number embroidered on it, slung her bags over her shoulders, and dashed out of the apartment.

On most days, Jamie Taylor was the epitome of focus. Today, however, was not most days.

Despite her best efforts to remain attentive, Jamie continued zoning in and out during the entire lecture. She was hopelessly unfocused thanks to a mixture of sleep deprivation and her unexpected morning conversation with Becs warning her about the very situation she was now in. It didn’t help her in the slightest that her economics professor spoke in a monotone voice and his accompanying power point slides were equally lackluster. Jamie tried to stay engaged but it was no use. The presentation was nothing more than a series of blurred images and a baritone voice droning on without an ounce of enthusiasm about the importance of supply and demand. She propped herself up on the palm of her hand. Soon enough, she found herself drifting off until a buzzing in her pocket jolted her back to life. She retrieved her phone from her front pocket discovering a new message from Dani that instantly brought a smile to her face. Her body buzzed with excitement as she opened the text.

 **Poppins 9:21** : Good morning! Hope you’re hanging in there today.

The message was accompanied by an image of a sloth hanging from a tree branch with a dopey smile on its furry little face. It was super cheesy, but Jamie still found herself grinning uncontrollably at the picture. All hope of regaining focus for economics was completely abandoned after that. Instead, she spent the remainder of the lecture formulating appropriate responses to Dani and obsessively re-reading every word Dani sent.

 **Jamie 9:25** : Trying my best Poppins. These morning classes just aren’t doing it for me today.

 **Poppins 9:32** : To be fair, your classes are following up all the epic fun you had at the party last night. How could they hold up to such high standards?

 **Jamie 9:35** : That’s true. No one has ever spontaneously made out with me in the middle of class.

 **Dani 9:39** : Is that what does it for you now?

 **Jamie 9:42** : It does if it’s you.

 **Dani 9:45** : You’re quite the charmer but I’m sure you already knew that.

 **Jamie 9:49** : Only when I’m determined to keep a beautiful lady interested

 **Dani 9:55** : Mmhmm, sure keep up that flattery :P

Dani’s particular choice of emoji was not helping her already derailed thoughts. Thankfully, her class ended leaving her no time to dwell on her inappropriate daydreams. She managed to fire off one last text before darting to her next class.

 **Jamie 9:58** : I’m just getting started ;)

Dani didn’t text back for the rest of the morning. Jamie assumed she had classes of her own to attend but that didn’t stop her from checking her phone every ten minutes secretly hoping to see a new notification.

Her remaining two classes went by much smoother compared to the first. Despite her roommate’s earlier warning about becoming distracted by Dani, Jamie was much more focused after talking to her. Perhaps, she simply needed to get all this pent-up flirting out of her system to really clear her head.

In the face of looming final exams, Jamie’s marketing professor showed her students no mercy assigning them a hefty group project that comprised a quarter of their grade with a turnaround time of only a few weeks. Upon the completion of class, Jamie quickly exchanged numbers with a few members of her group and mapped out a rough plan for dividing up the work before darting across campus in the direction of the practice pitch.

Coach was determined to have the team ready for the game against their rivals taking place in two days. Each and every practice was vital to success. It was bound to be a grueling practice today. The winter chill in the air compelled her to zip her jacket all the way up. Luckily, her long walk across campus was helping warm up her muscles to fight the cold.

Jamie rounded the corner of the campus library heading straight for the center of campus. The fountain in the middle of the square was starting to freeze over succumbing to the quickly approaching winter season. The surrounding field was typically buzzing with life but today it was barren. Just a few fools like herself braving the outdoors out of necessity. The lack of human traffic worked in her favor making it easier to navigate the length of campus in a timely fashion.

Oddly enough, there was an outlier today. A young woman parked on a nearby bench adjacent to the fountain. Her head was buried in her hands and she was muttering what sounded like profanity under her breath while her wild blonde hair engulfed her, the tips flowing in the wind. Her knapsack tilted over the side of the bench. Pencils and papers falling out of it on to the pavement. Only when she adjusted her hands to run her fingers through her golden locks did Jamie recognize her.

“Dani? What are you doing out here in the cold?”

Dani had a dazed look in her eyes and forlorn features. She seemed to slightly perk up when she noticed Jamie, leaving a warm feeling nestled in Jamie’s chest. She approached the bench, bending down to collect Dani’s possessions littered on the frosted grass.

“I-I was headed back to my dorm when… when...” Dani looked so beyond frustrated she couldn’t complete the sentence. She simply picked up the bag, dangling it by the broken strap, “This! I tried carrying everything without the bag but by the time I made it this far my arms and fingers were numb from the cold and, well, that’s when the causalities happened.” Dani added, referring to the items Jamie picked up off the ground.

Dani sighed. Her look of defeat tugged at Jamie’s heart strings.

“I just feel like I’m losing it today.” Dani continued, making eye contact with Jamie, “Shame, it was off to such a charming start.”

Just then, a particularly brutal gust blew across the field chilling Jamie to the bone despite all her layers. Dani visibly shivered on the bench. Jamie quickly placed Dani’s items on the bench along with her own bags. She took off her football jacket and then wrapped Dani in it rubbing the fabric over her arms hoping to spark a bit of warmth. It seemed to do the trick. Within seconds, Dani clutched at the fabric. Her shoulders relaxing.

Jamie swallowed the dry lump in the back of her throat. “Well, you may not have your sanity but at least you can keep warm on the way back home. I can help you carry all of this if you like. Where do you live?”

“I live in the dorms over in the Grove.”

“The Grove? That’s half a kilometer away at least.” Jamie commented after mentally estimating the distance realizing it was going to be an issue.

Dani released another sigh of frustration. “I don’t know what that means but it sounds really far away.”

“It is a bit far.” Jamie agreed. She checked her phone, cursing under her breathe at the time. “Sorry, Poppins but I have to run to practice. Here, take my bag instead. I promise it can handle the weight of your belongings.” Jamie relinquished her backpack to Dani, slinging her gym bag over her shoulder.

“Thank you, Jamie.” Dani’s cheeks flushed, “You seem to have a habit of saving me from myself.”

“Just get home in one piece, yeah?” Jamie added with a wink before sprinting off to the pitch. She stopped briefly in the locker room to complete putting on the rest of her gear and stash away her belongings. By the time she arrived at the field, her team was already circled around their coach. Jamie did her best to slip into formation unnoticed while her coach gave the team their pre-practice pep talk.

“Lakeside University is coming for us this week ladies! It’s up to each and every one of you to keep your eyes on the prize. Together, we can and will crush them! Ahh, how nice of you to join us Ms. Taylor.”

Jamie cringed. She was busted. The sudden comment drew the attention of all her teammates, including Rebecca who gave her a judgmental stare from over coach’s shoulder.

“Sorry coach.” Jamie mumbled, hanging her head low. This was going to be a long afternoon.

“I’ll let it slide this once. Now, that we have the whole team together, let’s get on with practice.”

Coach blew her whistle. On cue, the team lined in formation for their warmup lap around the pitch. After stretching and running a few routine drills, they split up into smaller groups to fine tune their skills. Jamie took her place on the penalty box, lining up a couple of soccer balls, while Rebecca surveyed the goalie box. Once, the grounds were deemed satisfactory and her gloves secured to her liking, Rebecca held her arm above her head as a signal for Jamie to begin firing shots on goal. Jamie decided to warm up a bit by chipping a few simple shots towards the corner posts that Rebecca caught with ease.

“Is that really the best you got Taylor? Or are you still too distracted by a certain blonde girl to make it to practice on time _and_ actually score goals?” Rebecca chided as she punted the ball back towards Jamie.

Jamie trapped the ball between her feet before setting up her next shot. She took a moment to steady her breathing, feeling a twinge of anger at the relentless digs from her roommate.

“For the last time, I’m not distracted Jessel. Just getting warmed up.”

Jamie put her building frustration into her next shot sending the ball sailing into the back of the net. She cocked an eyebrow at Rebecca in triumph.

“If you say so hot shot.” Rebecca conceded.

The second half of practice went well. Jamie walked off the pitch feeling more confident about their chances of winning and with much needed mental clarity. As she was leaving, the men’s team was gathering along the side lines. Stretching and waiting their turn to use the field for their evening practice. She spotted Owen among them, waving her over.

Jamie decided to join him in stretching after her cool down jog with her team.

Within seconds, Owen engulfed her in a big hug, jumping up and down like an excited child on Christmas morning. Thankfully, Jamie has known Owen since childhood and has come to expect this sort of affectionate behavior.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Hannah’s roommate?!” Owen exclaimed as he released his hold on Jamie. He continued gushing with a larger-than-life grin on his face. “She is really wonderful Jamie! I think she will be really great match for you. I’m just so happy for you! It’s about time you’ve got yourself a proper girlfriend.”

Jamie’s heart was racing in her chest at Owen’s assumptions.

“What? I’m not- we’re just- who told you that?” Jamie stuttered. Her insides buzzing with panic.

Owen looked puzzled. “Umm you did. You told us when that creepy bloke turned up to crash your date.”

Jamie slumped down on the ground. She needed to take a load off. This was all spiraling out of control already.

“For the record, I like her. I do. But we aren’t officially datin’ or anythin’ like that. It’s just too soon, all right.” Jamie clarified. She took a few deep breaths to qualm the pounding in her chest.

“Look, I know it can be scary to put yourself out there, but I’d hate to see you miss out on a good relationship because you’re scared of all the what ifs. If it feels right, I say go for it.” Owen said with sympathy and a warm smile.

“I’ll start takin’ your advice after you follow it yourself.” Jamie began, sounding a bit more defensive than she intended, “Honestly, you and Hannah have been flirtin’ non-stop since first year and neither of you have made a real move. Seems a bit hypocritical to push me so hard towards Dani when you’re just standin’ still.”

“You are absolutely right which is why I’ve got a big plan in the works. Proper date, proper boyfriend protocols, all of it coming her way.” Owen conceded.

“Ha, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Owen jogged off to join his teammates for practice leaving Jamie sitting alone with her thought. She reflected on Owen and Rebecca’s sentiments regarding her love life.

Relationships, no matter how well intentioned, often came at a cost. She wasn’t in any position at this point in her life to afford love or the potential heartbreak of a relationship gone wrong. Jamie wondered if the root of her distraction when it came to Dani ran deeper than physical attraction. Perhaps it was all the what ifs. The inevitabilities.

“Hey Taylor. Are you coming back to the flat?” Rebecca called to her from the side lines.

Jamie nodded yes, hoisting herself to her feet. The sudden headrush helping to cloud her racing thoughts. She joined Rebecca and together they trekked back to the apartment.

Later that evening, she emerged from the now spotless and sterile bathroom after her post practice shower. Rebecca, thankfully, had the good sense to crank up the thermostat earlier in the morning resulting in a wonderfully toasty apartment alleviating the need for extra layers. She threw on a clean pair of soccer shorts and a tank top before settling at her desk to begin tackling her schoolwork. She was determined to get ahead of her assignments before the game on Friday in order to free up as much of her weekend as possible.

About two hours into studying, her cell phone lit up with a new notification.

 **Poppins 21:06** : Thanks again for loaning me your bag. It did the trick. I made it back to my dorm with ALL of my things! I’m sure you need this back soon. If you like I could stop by really quick and return it?

 **Jamie 21:07** : Happy to be of service. You can stop by anytime. There’s no rush.

 **Poppins 21:09** : How about right now? Because I’m kind of outside your door.

Sure enough, standing outside her front door was a bundled-up Dani with wind blowen hair, rosy cheeks, and the borrowed backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Hi Jamie…” Dani trailed off her eyes looking Jamie up and down. Jamie was internally pleased at her choice in casual attire and the effect it was having on Dani.

“Hey there Poppins.” Jamie said with a smug grin.

Dani’s cheeks became a darker shade of red when Jamie caught her leering. She shook her head, blinking rapidly, averting her gaze away from Jamie.

“S-Sorry for dropping by out of the blue like this. I noticed your bag also had some of your notes and textbooks in it as well and I figured you might need them back sooner rather than later. Dani rambled without taking a breath or making direct eye contact with Jamie. It was adorable.

“That was very thoughtful of you.” Jamie said, her voice softer than usual. “Would you like to come in and escape the cold for a bit?”

Dani looked up at her shyly, “Sure, that sounds great.”

If Jamie’s infatuation with this girl wasn’t already a problem, it increased ten-fold the minute Dani entered her sauna of an apartment and started removing her extra layers of clothing.

Her brain short circuited at the sight.

Dani was clad in a form fitting purple sweater neatly tucked into high rise jeans that accented her curves just right. Jamie wasn’t sure how long she stood in the doorway ogling her guest, but it was long enough for Dani to notice. Soon she was sporting her own self-satisfied smirk.

“Um, you can take a seat if you like.” Jamie managed to mutter once her brain caught up to the present.

Dani plopped down on the couch and Jamie took the adjacent seat beside her, leaving a respectable distance between them.

“This place sure looks a lot different than the last time I was here.” Dani commented.

“Honestly, the day after a rager is the best time to drop by. The flat is practically brand new.”

“It does smell a lot nicer in here.”

They shared a laugh together. Dani’s laughter was bubbly and sweet. The sound made Jamie’s heart flutter.

Oddly enough, Jamie was at a loss for conversation. Chatting up women was one of her strong suits, but for the life of her, she couldn’t wrack her brain of a single worthy conversation starter. So, she sat there thinking and staring at Dani until they locked eyes. Dani quickly averted her gaze as if she too were at a loss for words. Dani ran her fingers through her loose curls as she took a glance around the flat. Jamie’s fingers itched to thread her finger through those soft locks again and run her fingers, well, _everywhere_.

“So, what’s your major?” The abrupt question pulled Jamie from her less than decent thoughts. “I’m assuming something financial judging from the contents of your school bag.”

“Business, actually. I’m hopin’ to start my own someday.” Jamie clarified.

“Sounds like you have everything figured out.” Dani shifted a bit. Her smile fell just a little and her voice seemed distant.

“I have a short-term plan, sure, but one can’t plan for everythin’.” Jamie added, desperate to keep the conversation going.

“Yeah.” Dani sighed.

The sound was heavy, as if Jamie’s words resonated deeply. After a few seconds, Dani had a lost look in her eyes as if her mind took her somewhere far away. Jamie scrambled to change the subject hoping to pull Dani out of whatever rabbit hole she had just fallen into.

“So, what about you?”

“Oh,” Dani said, the life in her eyes slowly returning, “I-I haven’t declared a major yet.”

“Really? What’s stoppin’ you?”

“Me, mostly.” Dani began with a hollow laugh. “I uh.. I..” She trailed off looking lost again. Jamie reached out and squeezed her hand. It was soft and warm.

“It’s ok,” Jamie began gently, “we don’t have to- ”

“-No, it’s ok, I-I want to tell you.” Dan smiled. Jamie interlaced their fingers together marveling at how naturally they interlocked.

“I want to make sure whatever I major in, the career path I choose, is something I love. The problem is I don’t know what that is. I just haven’t found what I’m passionate about. I’ve been taking general classes while I try and figure it out but I’m running out of time. The deadline to formally declare a major is next semester. It’s just such a big decision. I’m terrified of making the wrong choice.”

“Choices. Life, when it comes down to it is all about choices. Some are in your control and some forever out of reach. One bad choice can really fuck you up. Can fuck others up too if you’re not careful.” Jamie took a deep breath, picking at a loose thread on the couch with her free hand. Jamie knew this harsh reality all too well. After all, she was the product of the poor decisions of others. “But one good choice, a _really_ good choice, can open up a whole world of possibilities. Maybe you just need somethin’ new in your life. A spark of inspiration.”

“You make it all sound so easy. When you put it that way, all these decisions don’t seem as big. Or as scary…”

Jamie squeezed Dani’s hand again in reassurance.

Normally, Jamie didn’t open up about her feelings, her deeper feelings, but there was something about Dani that made it feel natural. There was something compelling Jamie to be honest, to be vulnerable. She could hear the warning sirens blaring in the back of her mind screaming she was falling for this girl.

Hard.

“Tryin’ somethin’ new can be terrifyin’. But I’ve often found not knowin’ at all is far worse. Drives you mad. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to figure out everythin’ in life at once. Take it one day at a time.”

After Jamie finished speaking, she glanced up meeting Dani’s gaze. Dani was looking at her, really looking as if she was searching for something. An answer perhaps. Maybe she was conflicted about more than just academic interests. Jamie could relate.

“When a good thing comes along you just go for it with everything you’ve got. Even though it might seem scary at first.”

Dani’s shaky voice pierced through the noise in Jamie’s mind, quelling the racquet. The sentence seemed heavy, like she was fighting against the gravity of the words. Jamie wanted to know what it was that was weighing her down.

The compulsion to lift Dani’s burdens and alleviate her troubles was back full force. Jamie filed that away to dwell on later. For now, she could offer Dani her empathy.

“Yeah.” Jamie responded breathlessly.

Dani’s eyelids fluttered, looking downward at Jamie’s lips. Slowly, they began gravitating towards each other until they met in the middle. The kiss was chaste but still managed to take Jamie’s breath away. Dani threaded her hands in Jamie’s hair, scraping her nails along her scalp sending a tingling sensation through every molecule in Jamie’s being. Jamie stilled her hands, afraid if she lets them wander, she won’t be able to stop. She leaned back in giving Dani another soft kiss, pulling on her bottom lip with her teeth as she moved away, thrilling at the small moan that Dani lets out when she does.

“I’d better go. It’s getting late.” Dani said softly, releasing her hold on Jamie.

“Ok.” Jamie responded, trying to sound understanding and not disappointed.

They both stood up from the couch and moved towards the front door. Dani paused in the entry way to put on her heavy coat.

“Thanks again for lending me- oh shoot!” Dani exclaimed. Panic flashing across her face.

“What?”

“I completely forgot to bring your jacket. I’ll just go grab it now.”

“No, it’s ok. You can hang on to it a bit longer.” Jamie said.

The panic faded from Dani’s features replaced by a curious grin. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Besides, it looks better on you any way.”

It was the truth.

Dani blushed and nodded her head. She planted a soft kiss on Jamie’s cheek causing her skin to burn.

They bid each other good night before Dani left the warm of the flat back out into the cold to walk back to her dorm room.

After Dani’s departure, Jamie retired to her room. She tried to regain her focus on her studies to no avail. Her mind replaying the events of the day on a continuous loop fixating on the swarm of emotions wreaking havoc with her insides.

There was no denying she had feelings for Dani. That was pretty clear.

But how deeply did these feelings go? Reflecting back on it, Jamie recognized she was acting out of character, just as Rebecca astutely pointed out earlier this morning. This could be dangerous if it got out of hand, but maybe this could be a good thing like Owen suggested.

Ultimately, Jamie decided to take her own advice and see how things naturally develop with Dani. Keep things casual for now. She could manage that that.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy end of the dumpster fire that was 2020!
> 
> I am beyond overwhelmed at all the enthusiasm for this story! Since you are all so invested, this will be a multi-chapter saga that now has a plot. So there is plenty more in store for you!
> 
> Hopefully, you all still enjoy the direction we are going in with this. Let me know what you think!
> 
> All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!


	3. Friday Night Football

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani's first football game is nothing like she'd imagined.

When she finally set foot in her dorm after finishing her last class of the day Dani sighed in relief savoring the sweet moment of tranquility. She tossed her broken book bag in the direction of her side of the room, the contents immediately spilling onto the floor, while crossing the length of the dorm room. The moment she was within reach of her bed she kicked off her shoes and collapsed headfirst onto the mattress. Her fatigue overriding every other sense in her body.

Classes weren’t entirely to blame for her exhaustion. They weren’t particularly challenging nor interesting for that matter. The trouble was her preoccupion with a certain charming brunette that was consuming her every waking thought and, as of last night, infiltrating her precious sleep resulting in a restless night of tossing and turning.

The trigger for Jamie’s sudden appearance in her dream must have been because Dani kissed her, _again_. It was a habit she was unable and, as it seemed, unwilling to break. 

How did this crush spiral out of control so quickly?

Dani wasn’t looking for a new relationship.

At all.

She was just a girl trying to emerge from the shadows of her former relationship and move forward with her life. Focus on her needs. Above all else, she was determined to figure out _who_ Dani Clayton really was.

For as long as she could remember, Dani had been a part of a couple.

It started with Eddie. They had been inseparable from childhood up until she broke things off with him a few months ago. During all of those years, it was always “Dani _and_ Eddie” or “Eddie _and_ Dani”. It was never _just_ Dani. She didn’t know who she was without a second half. She was hoping to figure that out now that she was single, but then Jamie appeared. Or rather, she pulled Jamie out of crowd into her life. Now she could think of little else besides Jamie. Her thoughts constantly fixating on every touch, every kiss. Every time her emotions appeared under control, it only took one text from Jamie to send her heart leaping out of her chest and the need to see her again returning in full force.

The cycle was relentless, leaving Dani little time to sort through her own feelings and figure out what she really wanted.

Was she ready for another serious relationship? Could she really handle that now?

Did Jamie even want that?

She was getting ahead of herself. She knew that, but she couldn’t help her thoughts from spiraling out of control when she was left alone to dwell. The endless what ifs left her incredibly frustrated. Her mind was constantly racing a mile a minute.

Just like now.

Dani rolled over onto her back. She sighed heavily keeping her eyes tightly shut hoping to qualm her anxiety.

The solution was obvious.

She needed to talk to Jamie.

For the sake of her sanity, Dani needed to establish some ground rules for _whatever_ it was they were doing. Last night, she tried to do just that. Her primary reason for going to Jamie’s apartment was to have _the talk_ with her, but all of that went out the window the minute Jamie opened the door in her skimpy outfit with her bare legs and arms on full display. The longer she stayed in Jamie’s presence, breathing in her pine scented cologne, the exact same smell lingering on Jamie’s jacket that Dani inhaled whiffs of all afternoon, the more clouded her mind became.

The entire time she was with Jamie she wasn’t thinking.

Dani _couldn’t think_ when her nostrils were filled with the aroma of a luscious forest and Jamie’s muscular thighs and biceps were mere inches from her own. So of course, she blurted out her own insecurities about school without a second thought while Jamie, perfect Jamie, sat there with her 10-year career goals all mapped out. Dani barely had her week planned out, let alone her entire life! Still, she couldn’t deny that Jamie seemed interested in her despite behaving like a complete disaster since the moment they first met.

Jamie let her keep her jacket.

The one with her name on it.

The one Dani wore to class all morning.

The one she was still wearing despite the warmth of her apartment.

There was still time to talk to Jamie, maybe tomorrow night. If she could only manage to get Jamie alone long enough to talk to her…

Dani was pulled from her reverie by a knock at the door and the grinding of a lock and key signaling her roommate was back from classes.

“Hope you’re decent.” Hannah said as she cautiously entered the room. She opened the door wider, after spotting a fully clothed Dani sitting on her bed, revealing Owen standing behind her.

“And I hope you’re both ready for football bootcamp!” Owen exclaimed as he trailed behind Hannah into the room, closing the door behind him.

Dani tried not to groan. She had completely forgotten she agreed to this. Well, not agreed per say more like was signed up for this by her well-meaning best friend. Once Hannah realized she was a novice to football, which apparently, was unheard of in England, she took it upon herself to bring Dani up to speed by any means necessary in time for the women’s match tomorrow night.

Hannah took a seat on her bed on the opposite side of the room as Dani. She patted the empty space beside her as an invitation for Owen to join. Which he did with a bashful smile. Dani sat up properly facing the two of them.

“We’ve been looking forward to it.” Hannah began with enthusiasm, beaming at Owen, “Thank you again for agreeing to help us out. I tried to teach Dani a thing or two, but it just doesn’t seem to stick. She may need a better teacher I’m afraid. Perhaps I’m in need of a refresher myself.”

“Nonsense! I’m sure you’re an incredible coach. You’re a natural at everything. I reckon Dani needs a few inspiring teachers to help drill down the basics.” Owen said with a wide toothy smile that caused Hannah to bat her eyelashes at in response.

“You’re too kind.” Hannah replied in a husky tone. She was staring at Owen like he was an absolute snack. The gesture made Dani wonder if Hannah had forgotten she was in the room with them. Dani coughed drawing Hannah’s attention from Owen to her. The look of shock plastered across her face said it all. “Umm, right! I-it was so kind of you to offer to help Dani. Get her off on the right foot with Jamie.”

Owen quickly echoed her sentiment. “Yes! Helping you hit things off with Jamie is a worthy cause. No trouble at all.”

It was strange how invested both Hannah and Owen seemed in her and Jamie’s budding... _whatever_. Their over enthusiasm made it seem like they were pushing her _hard_ into Jamie’s arms.

The pressure was overwhelming.

Dani suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. She debated opening a window but decided against it. Instead, she settled for unzipping Jamie’s jacket releasing some trapped heat for relief.

“Now Dani, how can I help you?” Owen asked.

“Well,” Dani began clasping her hands in her lap, fighting the urge to fidget, “I want to know enough to support Jamie at her game tomorrow night. I’m pretty sports illiterate but I-I know a _few_ things about football. My ex used to drag me to games in high school and most Sundays we’d watch games on television with his family. I never really understood what was going on. Wasn’t very interested in it.” Truthfully, she found the sport incredibly boring. She tuned the games out opting to watch the cheerleaders dance around instead. “Besides, women don’t exactly play football in America.” If they had maybe she would have paid _a lot_ more attention. In fact, the very reason she was attempting to study sports in the first place was because her crush was going to be playing the sport. Dani needed to know what was actually going on in this game in order to converse with her afterwards rather than nod along cluelessly about tackles, rushes, yard kicks, and making idiotic comments about how great she looks in those mesh shorts…

Wow… _How_ did it take her this long to realize she was into women?

Hannah’s confused voice broke Dani out of her sapphic thoughts.

“That’s odd. I was sure the United States had a stellar women’s football team.”

“Ahh you remembered!” Owen exclaimed with glee, “They do! One of the best in the world.” His excitement faltered after glancing over at Dani, picking up on her state of despair. “But we don’t need to worry about all of that. Let’s keep it simple and focus on Jamie.”

Jamie. Learning new things about Jamie. She could do that.

“What position does Jamie play?” Dani asked.

“Striker which means she gets all the glory by scoring- ”

Dani actually knew this one. She finished Owen’s sentence with enthusiasm.

“-Touch downs!”

“-goals.”

“This is hopeless.” Dani resigned, her brief excitement dissipating.

“Maybe it would help if we watched a bit of football?” Hannah suggested, “The visual helped me learn a great deal.” Owen nodded in agreement.

Dani resolved not to give up just yet. She joined Hannah and Owen on Hannah’s bed. Hannah retrieved her laptop from her desk, passing it over to Owen. He proceeded to open a streaming website and then placed the device on his lap in between her and Hannah.

After about a minute, Dani’s frustration got the better of her.

“Why are we watching soccer?”

Owen scrunched in face in confusion. “Dani, this is football.”

“ _Oh_ …” Hannah widened her eyes as if she had a sudden epiphany. “I forgot Americans call it something else. Honestly Dani, why does your country insist on making everything confusing?”

“I don’t know.” Dani released a long sigh running her fingers through her hair, tugging at the roots. “Ok, so Jamie plays _soccer_ which apparently is called _football_ here and I know even less about English football than American football and now my brain hurts!”

Eventually, Hannah and Owen calmed her down enough to resume their lesson. They spent the rest of the afternoon watching a few matches and highlights together, pausing often to explain all the rules to Dani. Much to her delight, the basics of soccer were a lot easier to digest than American football.

By Friday afternoon, Dani could recite all the rules, describe all the positions, and use soccer terminology nearly perfectly. Hannah quizzed her over lunch just to be sure. She passed with flying colors much to everyone’s delight. With her soccer knowledge solidified, Dani was free to spend the rest of the late afternoon debating what to wear to the game. She eventually settled on the only Bly University paraphernalia she owned which was the complimentary Bly Uni t-shirt she found sitting on her desk the first day she arrived in her dorm freshman year. She threw that on with a pair of jeans, the ones Jamie seemed to like, fixed her hair up into a French braid, and completed the ensemble with Jamie’s football jacket.

Owen dropped by to collect them about an hour before the game started. They left the dorms and walked across campus together to the stadium. The sun was well into its decent along the horizon bringing the chilly air along with it. Dani was thankful she had the added layer of Jamie’s football jacket to keep her warm. When they arrived at the football field, Owen ushered them to what he claimed were the best seats in the house. They took their seats in the first row directly in front of the big white line diving the field in half, which Dani correctly identified as the midfield line. This vantage point gave them a clear view of the entire pitch including all the players.

Both teams were gathered in their respective groups on the opposite side of the field from the spectators. Dani searched among the sea of white jerseys of the Bly University ladies until she found who she was looking for standing among the outskirts of the group. Number 15, Jamie Taylor engrossed in conversation with her teammates. Dani kept her eyes fixed on Jamie while she half-listened to Owen and Hannah’s chattering until the referee blew the whistle signaling the start of the game. Jamie took her place at the midfield line in the center circle along with another teammate and the black and white checked ball. Dani quickly joined Owen and Hannah in hollering and jumping up and down in excitement.

They must have been carrying on loud enough to draw the attention of the players.

Her heart sped up when Jamie looked in her direction. It was brief, but Jamie’s crooked smile right before she touched the ball was enough to ignite Dani’s newfound passion for organized sporting matches.

Jamie passed the ball to her teammate who then lobbed the ball off to the left side of the field where another Bly Uni player was sprinting into open space towards the opponent’s goal. Owen and Hannah provided commentary and the occasional “ohhs” and noooos” as good and bad things happened. Dani hardly noticed any of that. She had tunnel vision for number 15.

The way Jamie moved, so smooth and fluid, was memorizing. Making it look effortless to dance and glide around the other players with a soccer ball glued to her feet. Dani cheered at the top of her lungs when Jamie blew past two defenders with ease. She darted into the open space in opponent’s penalty box as another teammate sent the ball flying through the air. Jamie jumped at the perfect time. The ball connected with her forehead, redirecting it toward the corner posts sailing between the soaring goalie’s outstretched arms into the back of the net. The crowd erupted in celebration. Everyone was on their feet, including Dani, cheering and high fiving one another completely swept up in the moment.

Owen nudged Dani in the shoulder. “Looks like Jamie is showing off a bit tonight... maybe for _someone_ special.”

Dani was about to protest this accusation, but the words died on the tip of her tongue when she locked eyes with Jamie from across the field. Jamie had that cocky lopsided grin on her face, the one that left Dani weak in the knees.

Ok so maybe Jamie _was_ showing off to get her attention.

It was totally working.

About ten minutes after Jamie’s goal, the Lakeside University striker managed to score an unimpressive goal off of a corner kick which tied the game 1-1 going into halftime. Midway through the second half of the match, Jamie pulled off yet another spectacular goal. She tapped the ball through her opponent’s legs darting around her and then chipped the ball around the goalie into the net putting Bly in the lead 2-1.

Up until this point, Jamie’s goals were the highlight of the match. But Dani’s absolute favorite part came a bit later on.

Shortly after Jamie’s second goal, two players collided while fighting for control of the ball. They toppled onto the ground both lying still long enough to distress the medics who dashed out onto the field to assess them. Thankfully, neither of them was Jamie nor were either of the girls seriously injured. But this impromptu break did lend time for the other unharmed players to take a water break.

Jamie happened to be positioned on the midfield line near the sidelines closest to the stands.

Dani could see the sheen of sweat on her forehead, the definition of her biceps as she took a swig from the water bottle, and a peak of her abs when she wiped her face with the bottom of her jersey.

After that it was official.

Dani _really_ liked this version of football.

Jamie managed an assist off of a corner kick that secured Bly’s 3-1 victory against Lakeside.

After the post win spectator ruckus died down, Owen, Hannah, and Dani made their way onto the pitch to meet up with Jamie. Jamie jogged over to the opposite side of the field to greet them.

“Well done mate!” Owen began, “Bit disappointed you didn’t manage the full hat trick tonight. You feeling all right?” Jamie’s face twitched ever so slightly at the comment.

Hannah playfully slapped Owen’s arm. “What Owen meant to say was congratulations on the win! You were brilliant out there as always.”

“Thanks for the support _Hannah_.” Jamie retorted before sticking her tongue out at Owen in jest. She glanced over at Dani looking a bit shy. Dani’s body hummed with excitement. She opened her mouth to speak but she never did. Just at that moment, a tall brunette woman from the other team slid up next to Jamie draping her arm casually around her shoulders. Jamie looked surprised at first, but then her shoulders relaxed.

Something icy ran through Dani’s veins as the entire interaction unfolded before her eyes.

“You did seem to have an extra something in your step today. Those goals were a bit on the fancy side Taylor. Hope you weren’t working extra hard just for little old me.” The Lakeside player said as she took her arms off of Jamie.

Dani released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and unclenched the fists balled inside her jacket pockets.

Jamie rolled her eyes. The cocky grin creeping back upon her face. “Don’t flatter yourself Lloyd. I don’t need to try extra hard to beat you at football. Natural talent does the trick all on its own.”

“You were also brilliant Viola! It’s always lovely to see you.” Owen added. He stepped forward hugging Viola.

“It’s so lovely to see you both.” Viola said, untangling from Owen’s embrace. “One of the great tragedies of going to different Uni’s.” She turned her attention to Hannah and Dani, as if noticing them for the first time. “Where are my manners?”

“You haven’t any.” Jamie quipped.

Viola smiled, shoving Jamie in the shoulder playfully... flirtatiously?

Dani’s blood began to boil.

“I’m Viola. We all went to primary school together and then some.” She extended her arm shaking hands with Hannah, followed by Dani. Her grip was strong.

“Until she ditched us for the enemy.” Owen added with a wink.

“Lakeside made me a better offer than Bly. Business is business. Can’t hold a grudge for that, can you?” Viola reasoned with a shrug.

“No, can’t blame you in the slightest for doing what’s best for you.” Owen conceded. “Since you’re here now, would you like to come to the party at my place tonight?”

Viola agreed much to Dani’s displeasure. Owen and Hannah launched into a vibrant discussion about the party details with Viola. Dani remained silent, nodding along and focusing on her steadying her breathing. Seeing another woman flirting with Jamie shouldn’t be this unbearable to see.

She really needed to talk to Jamie.

Dani felt a tugging at her sleeve. “Hey, Poppins.”

“Hi...” Dani said breathlessly.

It was one thing to ogle Jamie from across the field, but up close… the view was _something_ else. Her white jersey clung to her body accenting her slim and toned physique. The vision alone invoked temporary amnesia from the events of the last few minutes. Dani just stared at Jamie, jaw agape, while Jamie’s signature cocky smirk grew wider.

“Did you enjoy the match?” Jamie asked. “Be honest, if this isn’t your thing, I'll never ask you come out here again.”

“I didn’t think this would be my thing, but after tonight I think it is. You looked- you were- sooo good. Just incredible.” Dani blurted out once her brain caught up with the present moment.

“You like what you saw then?” Jamie asked, taking a step closer. She placed a hand on her hip, raising her eyebrow as if challenging Dani to take a good look.

Which she did. How could she not?

“Mhmm.” Dani muttered. Her cheeks burning as her eyes roamed up and down the full length of Jamie’s body. Savoring every second.

At some point during her overt leering, Owen, Hannah, and Viola parted ways to get ready for the party.

“I better get cleaned up too. Can’t show up for a date looking like this.” Jamie said.

Dani wouldn’t mind one bit of Jamie wore her soccer gear for the rest of the night… or the rest of time.

“Right, that would be… _something_.” Dani shook her head, stopping her less than decent thoughts. “I-I should go get ready too.”

“You sure? From where I’m standin’ you look- well, perfect.” Jamie purred. The deeper tone sent a shiver along Dani’s spine. “But, if you’d prefer to change into somethin’ a bit more scandalous, I won’t try and stop you. I can swing by yours so we can walk together. Say 8 o’clock?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Dani’s heart was pounding in her chest. It was so loud she could barely hear her own voice. She wondered if Jamie even had even the slightest clue of just how much she could affect her with her mere presence alone.

Did Jamie react this way to her too?

The prospect seemed entirely plausible. Especially, from the way Jamie was looking at her. Her eyes roaming, settling on her lips every so often and lingering a few beats. Dani took a step forward, pulled into Jamie’s orbit by forces out of her control. Judging from the look on Jamie’s face, she was falling too. Headed on a one-way collision course.

“Jay! Jay!”

A high-pitched squeaky voice drew their attention away from each other. The voice belonged to a tiny boy with unruly curly golden hair dashing as fast as he could towards Jamie. Jamie bent down to collect him in her arms. He clung onto her as she lifted him spinning him around in the air. The boy giggled with glee.

The sight of Jamie with the little boy hit differently. Her entire demeanor changed. She seemed lighter and more full of life than Dani had ever seen her before.

“Can we play now Jay? Please? Please?!” The young boy begged.

Jamie put him on the ground. “We can. If that’s ok with my friend Dani here.”

The word friend left a weird, sinking sensation in the pit of Dani’s stomach.

The boy looked at Dani as if he was noticing her for the first time. He cowered a bit behind Jamie, clutching her leg. Sensing the boy might be shy, Dani lowered her body until she was eye level with him.

“I’m Dani, what’s your name?”

“Mikey.” The boy squeaked, peaking out behind Jamie. Dani smiled at him encouraged by his quick response. She consciously kept her voice steady and calming as she talked to him.

“Hi Mikey. It’s so nice to meet you. Do you like to play football too?”

His eyebrows perked up at the mention of football. “Yes! I love it!” Mikey exclaimed emerging a bit from behind Jamie, “Is it ok if we play now?”

Dani’s insides melted at the innocence of the request. “Of course! Jamie is a really good at football. You’re lucky to get to play with her.”

“She’s my favorite player!” Mikey yelled in excitement.

Dani kneeled closer to Mikey, whispering conspiratorially into his ear, “If she's your favorite player than that makes you my favorite. Don't tell Jamie that. It’ll be our secret.” Mikey giggled, thrilled to be a part of a secret.

When Dani looked up, she noticed Jamie was smiling with curiosity.

“Come on wee one. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Jamie said to Mikey before jogging off towards the nearest goal. Mikey happily dashed after her.

Dani continued watching the two play against each other. Mikey was incredibly focused, determined to score a goal while Jamie, although playing soccer, was not the same player Dani witnessed earlier in the evening. All of her bravado and swagger were gone. Her movements seemed over exaggerated and poorly timed allowing the young boy to dribble around her and score a goal with ease. The instant he did, Jamie threw her head back dramatically as Mikey jogged around her in victory with his arms in held out towards the sky. Soon, Jamie picked him up carrying him around the pitch while they celebrated his goal together.

It was incredibly sweet. Dani couldn’t stop herself from cheering for Mikey.

Dani got the sense she was intruding on a special moment. Witnessing first-hand a whole different side of Jamie Taylor, a side of her reserved for the young boy in her arms.

“Hey.” A younger teenage boy saddled up next to her, casually blowing a few wavy brown locks out of his face making his piercing green eyes visible. Dani didn’t recognize him from school, but there was something familiar about him.

“Hi.” Dani hesitantly replied. She smiled, turning her attention back to Jamie and Mikey.

Or she tried to.

“What’s a beautiful lass like you doin’ in a place like this?” The floppy haired boy continued.

“Oh, I came to the game to watch my-my…”

Her what?

A sudden wave of panic hit her as her thoughts teetered along the precipice of _what_ Jamie was to her. All her misfiring brain could muster was a weak, “… soccer.”

The younger boy looked at her curiously. “You’re into football?”

“So far. This was my first game.”

The boy smirked, misguidedly encouraged by her attempt at polite small talk.

“You haven’t seen anythin’ yet. If you liked _this_ , then you should check out men’s football.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Dani offered, hoping this line of questioning was coming to an end.

Unfortunately, the boy persisted moving closer to her, “I play you know? You should come watch me in action. You might like what you see a lot better, if you know what I mean?”

Dani was speechless. Completely stunned by the implications of his statement. Thankfully, she was saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of her unlabeled soccer person carrying a squirming and giggling Mikey over her shoulder.

“I dunno mate, maybe you should ask her if she enjoyed what she saw tonight? Let her decide what she prefers.” Jamie’s tone was laced with _something_ foreign. Perhaps jealousy?

The boy straightened his posture under Jamie’s scrutiny, acting off put by her presence.

“James.”

“Denny. Thanks for bringin’ the wee one tonight.”

“Wasn’t by choice. Family obligations and all.” Denny responded curtly.

Just then, it all clicked for Dani. The similarities in their looks and the overall familiarity. They must be Jamie’s brothers.

Jamie placed Mikey on the ground. He immediately rushed over to Denny.

“Did you see my goal Denny?! Did you see?!”

Denny’s features softened. “Of course, mate, you were brilliant! Better footballer than Jamie if you ask me.”

Mikey beamed at the compliment. “Dani said I was her favorite too! Whoops, that was a secret…”

“Caste me aside so soon Poppins?” Jamie said, placing her hands over her heart in dramatic fashion.

“I guess so.” Dani replied, playing along with the faux drama. “Might have to trade in this jacket for Mikey’s.”

Denny rolled his eyes as he finally caught on. “Typical.” He spat at Jamie. “You always take everythin’ all for yourself, don’t you?”

The two older siblings engaged in a heated staring contest giving Dani the impression she actually was an unwelcomed guest. Dani wracked her brain in desperation trying to find a way to twart the escalating situation.

“Can we go get ice cream now?” Mikey asked, clearly oblivious to everything that was happening. His innocent request diffused the building tension.

“I-I dunno Mikey,” Jamie began, refocusing her attention back to him, “you see I promised Dani here I would spend tonight with her.”

“Dani can come too! Please Jay?” Mikey pleaded, tugging on the hem of Jamie’s shorts.

A look of bewilderment passed across Jamie’s face which quickly morphed into confusion. She looked at Dani, “Dani, would you like to come get ice cream with us? I promise it won’t interfere with our plans tonight.”

“S-sure, I love ice cream.” 

“Me too!” Mikey exclaimed, grinning widely at Dani who shared his smile in return.

“Ice cream it is.” Jamie said. She turned her attention to Denny who was sulking and huffing off to the side. “I’ll drive him back after. It’s Friday night. You have a car now. A bit of freedom. Put it to good use, yeah?”

Denny nodded in agreement, fighting a small smile out of the corner of his mouth.

Dani and Mikey followed Jamie to the parking lot by the stadium. The three of them hopped into Jamie’s truck with Mikey sandwiched in between them and then drove to an ice cream parlor ten minutes away from campus.

Once they arrived, Mikey dragged Jamie out of the truck straight into the shop. He spent several minutes asking her to identify all the flavors and toppings in the establishment. Ultimately, he was unable to decide on just one flavor so he opted for a little of everything. Jamie and Dani settled on splitting a modest portion of vanilla and chocolate swirl with rainbow sprinkles.

Dani grabbed a table towards the front of the shop while Jamie and Mikey paid for their treats. When the duo joined Dani, Jamie handed Dani their bowl before setting Mikey’s mountain of ice cream and toppings on the table. Then she took a seat in front it. Mikey hopped into Jamie’s lap before digging in like a ravished fiend. The following silence was a testament to his enjoyment.

“It’s nice you get to see your brothers.” Dani said to Jamie in between bites.

“Not as often as I’d like.” Jamie admitted with a sad smile.

“I’m an only child.” Dani confessed. “The closest thing I ever had to siblings was Eddie’s sisters and cousins. Used to spend more time with them than the family I did have.”

Despite her best efforts, Dani couldn’t stop the bitterness from creeping into her tone, nor the sadness that was now taking hold of her. Part of her reluctance to break up with Eddie was the inevitable loss of the only family she’d ever known. She locked eyes with Jamie noting the deep concern etched into her features.

“You don’t have a brother or a sister?” Mikey asked, finally taking a break from shoveling heaping spoonfuls of dessert into this mouth.

“No, I don’t. You’re very lucky to have both.” Dani responded, flashing him the most genuine smile she could muster.

“I can be your brother. Can’t I Jay?”

“Uh, well…” Jamie stumbled, clearly struggling with her response.

Dani released a much-needed laugh. Her heart melting into a puddle at Mikey’s childish yet adorable solution. She placed her hand on Jamie’s watching the brunette’s features soften.

“That’s really sweet Mikey. I’d really like that.”

On the ride back to Bly University, Mikey drifted off into a food coma leaning into Dani’s side while he snoozed.

“He seems to really like you.” Jamie began, her voice low as not to rouse Mikey, “He doesn’t take to most people. Maybe you have a special way with kids. A real life Mary Poppins.”

Dani did have a lot of fun with Mikey today, more fun than she’s had in many days. Perhaps there was some truth to Jamie’s observation.

“Maybe or maybe taking to me just runs in your family.” Dani offered as they pulled into the parking lot closest to her dorm. She meant it to be flirty, but Jamie didn’t seem to take it that way. A brief look of anger flashed across Jamie’s face right after she said it. When Dani blinked it was gone.

“Yeah, maybe.” Jamie mumbled as she halted the truck. “You’re gonna have a whole closet filled with football jackets if that’s the case.”

Dani tried to salvage the situation, hoping to dispel whatever insecurities Jamie was feeling.

“Hmm well I guess they’ll collect dust in there. I’m already very fond of the one I have now.”

Jamie’s crooked grin returned along with her confidence. “I’d really like to kiss you and all, but I’d hate to wake the sleepin’ gremlin.”

Dani gently untangled from Mikey, settling his sleeping body against Jamie's side without disturbing him. She decided to take advantage of their newfound closeness, whispering along the shell of Jamie's ear.

“Good thing we have the rest of the night, isn’t it?”

Dani swiftly exited the vehicle giving Jamie no time at all to react. She set off in the direction of her dorm, glancing over her shoulder and smiling uncontrollably when she spotted a stunned Jamie still in the parking lot staring right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a huge thank you to everyone that read this story and has reached out to me about it. You are all truly wonderful! This story literally exists because of your encouragement and kind words.
> 
> Hopefully this chapter was to your liking. Soccer Jamie, am I right? I did channel a certain member of the USWNT for Jamie. If you have a guess who that was, leave it in the comments!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts and feelings!


	4. Something More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie keeps good on her promises to Dani in more ways than one.

Jamie burst into her apartment, swinging the door shut behind her as she bolted for the shower. Dropping off Mikey took a tad longer than she originally anticipated, leaving her scant time to take a 5-minute shower, change out of her football kit and into something more suitable for a date, and sprint out the door in the direction of the Grove dormitories, but despite the time crunch she managed to get it all done. Her trusty converse high tops pounded the pavement as she pushed past her exhaustion and the burning in her legs and lungs out of pure determination to arrive at Dani’s dorm by their agreed upon time.

By some miracle, she arrived at the Grove dormatories with a few minutes to spare. Jamie took a quick moment to appraise her appearance in the foggy windows of the main entrance's double doors. She looked like a complete mess with rosy cheeks and crazy hair. She flattened the newly formed creases on the front of her green and gray checkered flannel tucking the front of it into her black skinny jeans and tousled her hair a few times, failing to style her wild soggy mane. In a state of frustration, she contemplated calling the whole thing off and rescheduling for another night when she could actually look presentable, but abandoned this idea almost immediately knowing full well it was too late to back out now.

A promise was a promise. And she promised Dani a date tonight.

The warmth inside Grove hall was a welcomed reprieve. Jamie took a breather, allowing her body to thaw out from her jog across the chilly campus. She slowly walked the empty hall in search of Dani’s room. When she found it, she paused in front of the door allowing the coursing adrenaline from her run to subside, dulling her buzzing nerves. After a few strangers wandering the vacant hall gave her judgmental side eye, Jamie summoned enough courage to knock on Dani’s door, leaning against the door frame acting as cool as she certainly did not feel.

After what seemed like an excruciating amount of time, Dani finally opened the door.

“Wow, you look…” Dani trailed off. Her eyes widened, shimmering with hunger as she took in Jamie’s appearance.

Normally, Jamie would fully revel in the fact that a beautiful woman was drooling over her without an ounce of shame, but this time she couldn’t. Jamie was transfixed by the sight of Dani standing casually in a thin black crop top and _those_ jeans. Never in her life was she more appreciative of a sturdy wooden door frame. It was the only thing keeping her standing upright.

“And you look,” Jamie began, still in awe. It was like the denim was custom made for her, “just _wow_.”

This outfit should really be illegal.

A lopsided grin slowly formed out of the corner of Dani’s mouth, clearly pleased with her choice in attire. Jamie noticed the faint blush creeping across her face as she turned to grab one more article of clothing to complete her glorious ensemble.

Her royal blue Bly University football jacket.

There was something so deeply satisfying about Dani choosing to wear an article of her own clothing. The primitive caveman part of her brain took great pleasure in seeing her own name proudly displayed across Dani’s chest. The fact that Dani willingly wore it, unprompted on several occasions was alluring.

Damn did she look _good_ in it. The shade of blue complimented her eyes perfectly making them even more tempting to get lost in.

“Ready to go?” Dani asked, pulling Jamie out of her daydream of mentally dressing Dani in some of her other articles of clothing and then removing them with her own hands...

“Uh, yeah. Born ready.”

Jamie pivoted on her heel moving towards the hallway exit. She only made it a few steps before realizing Dani wasn’t following her. When she turned back around, Dani was firmly rooted in front of her door, leaning with her back against the wooden frame. Jamie cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

“You ok there Poppins?”

Dani coly bit her bottom lip drawing Jamie’s attention. Her heart picking up speed in anticipation of where this was headed.

“If I’m not mistaken, I think you owe me a kiss.”

Jamie took a few steps, moving in an unhurried fashion into Dani’s space. Taking pleasure in the flicker of Dani’s eyes and the noticeable hitch in breath.

“You’re right. I do.” Jamie whispered seductively, craning her head lower, closing the distance between them, and capturing Dani’s lips in one tantalizingly slow and swift motion.

She savored every sweet second from the feel of Dani’s lush lips sliding against hers, to the slight tremble beneath the pads of her fingers as she took her time lightly tracing the sliver of warm skin just above the waist band of those perfect fitting jeans. Dani became quickly impatient with her snail’s pace momentum. Hurried hands latched firmly onto Jamie’s elbows tugging her arms towards her back as if begging Jamie to pick up the pace. Jamie smiled at Dani’s response forcing an unintentional break in the kiss. When Dani whined in response, Jamie couldn’t help but continue toying with her. She pulled away, chuckling as Dani quickly chased her retreating lips.

“I reckon I promised you somethin’ else tonight.” Jamie purred along the shell of Dani’s ear just before peppering a trail of light kisses along the expanse of her slender neck, pausing at her pulse point. Relishing in Dani’s breathless sigh and the involuntary jerk of her hips as Jamie sucked at her pulse point. She placed one last kiss on the newly reddened skin that was moments away from becoming tangible evidence of her handy work. Jamie delighted at the thought of leaving a temporary mark on Dani’s body.

“I promised to take you to a party.” Jamie said, leaning back to get a proper look at Dani’s reaction.

She was met with a pair of dark and hooded eyes simmering with desire. It was so palpable, Jamie seriously contemplated going against everything she just said, claiming she was kidding and offering to take Dani into her empty dorm room instead. But she never got the chance. In her brief moment of hesitation, Dani blinked a few times erasing all lust from her eyes.

“We should get going then.” Dani said in a husky voice that sent a pleasant shiver along Jamie’s spine.

They walked side by side moving in the direction of Owen’s apartment. Dani fully zipped up the jacket to combat the frigid night. Her warm breath misting the surrounding air with each exhalation. Jamie couldn’t attest to the temperature outside. Her body felt like it was on fire. Turns out teasing Dani, while satisfactory in the moment, left Jamie with her own unresolved _feelings_. Perhaps that was why her entire body was instinctively drawn to Dani’s, inching closer during their short walk, until there was such a lack of space between them their hands couldn’t avoid brushing together with every stride. After a few times, they naturally linked. Drawn together like opposite ends of a magnet.

The contact kindled her lingering superficial feelings, but also stirred something lying dormant within.

Something that went beyond the realm of physical attraction.

Something _more_.

Everything involving Dani was more. Jamie felt more for her than she had ever felt for a potential romantic partner, which was terrifying in and of itself, not to mention the fact that they barely knew each other. But even still, it was more than that. More than just the two of them. For better or worse, this thing with Dani was taking on a life of its own. It was slowly bleeding into her private life.

Earlier this evening, Jamie broke her own golden rule of never introducing her dates to her brothers.

Why allow them to become attached to someone that may not stick around?

Why give her family that false hope?

It was concerning how quickly Mikey became attached. She nearly fainted when the first thing out of his mouth when he woke up was “Where’s Dani?”.

And then there was the way Dennis looked at Dani…

Something about that glint in his eyes made her skin crawl. Not that she could blame her brother for checking out Dani because, well, she’s a knockout, but just the notion of Dani’s possible interest in someone that wasn’t her did not sit well. To say it was uncomfortable, was an understatement.

She could only describe the gnawing feeling radiating from the pit of her stomach as jealously.

It was a completely foreign feeling. One she wasn’t sure how to handle.

So, she buried those ugly thoughts and bottled her unresolved feelings opting to focus on the brighter side of this situation. Right now, she was with Dani and they had the whole night ahead of them.

Besides they had a moment, when she dropped off Dani at her dorm… didn’t they?

Did it even matter if they had a moment?

It didn’t change Jamie’s situation _at all_. There was still everything, her whole life and the lives of her brothers, riding on her successes. The fact that Dani was smart, deeply kind, beautiful, and the most compassionate person on the planet didn’t make any of the other stuff go away. It didn’t make her any less of a distraction. Right?

This wasn’t a movie with a scripted plot where everything was purposefully designed to work out in the end for the protagonist.

This was real life.

Unlike on the silver screen, everything in reality was complicated. But _oh_ how Jamie wished life and love could be as simple as a rom-com.

Maybe it could be…

If she kept things simple, then things would be simple.

Like a party. Parties are simple.

Have fun. Full stop.

Her and Dani could have fun. How hard could that be?

Upon their arrival, the party was in full swing as evident by the blaring music, rowdy crowd chanting encouragement to someone performing a keg stand, and various people mingling and dancing in various states of inebriation. The pair barely made it two steps into the apartment before they were greeted by an excited Owen. He waved them over to the kitchen, where he had a couple of beers and a round of clear liquid shots waiting for them.

Taking a literal shot for each shot she took on goal during a football game was Jamie’s least favorite party tradition. Despite being a born and bred Englishwoman, she had a freakishly low tolerance for hard liquid and genuinely disliked the taste all together. Dani downed her shots with enthusiasm along with the rest of her friends. Without missing a beat, Jamie gave into peer pressure, downing the two shots as quickly as possible while holding back her retch, and immediately chasing the burning alcohol with tepid beer from the plastic cup. After the round of drinks, the group relocated in the living room. Owen and Hannah regaled them with the more entertaining party shenanigans from earlier in the evening.

One major benefit from Bly Uni traditions, was the effects of the alcohol coursing through her veins blunting her troublesome emotions. It granted her clarity making her more attuned to the present moment. Or Jamie would have been, if she wasn’t distracted by another pleasant side effect of alcohol.

Turns out inebriated Dani was a lot more handsy than sober Dani. She immediately nestled into Jamie’s side, laughing every so often sending puffs of warm air tickling the side of Jamie’s neck. Dani’s right hand wrapped securely around her waist, but the longer they stood there, and the more beer Dani consumed, the more her hand took on a life of its own. Eventually, wandering underneath Jamie’s shirt lightly scratching circles along the small of her back leaving a trail of burning skin in its wake. It was so wonderfully distracting, Jamie tuned out everything else besides Dani’s touch.

Then out of the blue, Dani tensed. Hand freezing in place. Jamie heard her release a long sigh before pulling her hand away and crossing her arms across her chest.

“Any takers for beer pong?” Viola asked, appearing suddenly beside Hannah and jumping seamlessly into their conversation. “Table needs three players. Just left my teammate hanging. Don’t think I can survive another humiliating loss today.”

Hannah’s eyes lit up with glee. “Owen, do you want to play?”

“Sure! Dani want to join us? I’d ask Jamie, but I already know how much she hates fun – I mean drinking games.” Owen concluded with a wink and his hands up in surrender.

Dani’s eyes quickly darted between Jamie and Viola as if she were trying to work through something in her mind. “U-uh, sure.”

Hannah squealed with joy, dragging Dani by the elbow into the kitchen while Owen skipped after them leaving Jamie and Viola to spectate the match. Naturally, Owen and Hannah paired up while Dani partnered with one of Jamie’s teammates. Just before Owen took his first shot, Viola wandered towards the makeshift bar volunteering to refill their drinks leaving Jamie rooted in place watching the game with great interest.

The match started off surprisingly well for Dani's team. Owen and Hannah both failed to score in their first round leaving Dani to take her first shot without any added pressure. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she held the small white ping pong ball out in front of her body and the edge of her crop top lifted slightly giving Jamie a wonderful peak of creamy skin as she took aim. The look of shock on her face when she sunk the ball straight into the opponent’s cup was absolutely precious.A swarm of butterflies wreaked havoc in the pit of Jamie’s stomach as the adorable blonde jumped up and down with joy. Jamie cheered her on as loudly as she could. Soon after, Dani’s teammate clinched her shot securing their early lead. The two embraced in a fit of celebration. While seemingly innocent, the action rubbed Jamie the wrong way.

After that incident, Jamie couldn’t enjoy the game. Instead, she fixated on all the little private interactions happening between Dani and her teammate. The way her eyes dropped for a few beats to discretely check out Dani, every time she used the excuse of landing a shot to touch Dani in some way- a hug that lingered a beat too long, an elbow brush followed by an arm squeeze-, and especially when she leaned over Dani’s shoulder close enough to smell the hint of floral notes lingering from Dani’s shampoo under the guise of helping her line up her next shot.

By the time Viola appeared, she was fuming.

Viola handed Jamie a beer, eyeing her with concern.

“Ok _what_ did I just miss?”

“Nothing.” Jamie muttered trying her best to conceal her agitation.

“Nothing?” Viola asked with a small laugh. “You wearing your I’m about to murder something face. It’s the same look you get just before you take a penalty shot.”

Jamie opened her mouth in a second attempt to play it cool. As she did, cheering erupted from the beer pong table indicating someone scored. When Jamie glanced over, Dani and her teammate were hugging, _again_. This one lasted way too long for Jamie’s liking. She shut her mouth, clenching her jaw as her heart pounded erratically in her chest.

Rough tugging at her arm finally broke her intense focus from the placement of her teammate’s hands on her date’s lower back. Viola relentlessly tugged leading her away from the kitchen. They settled in the corner of the living room where the blaring music wasn’t quite as loud, and the view of the beer pong table was obstructed by a small crowd of people poorly dancing.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s got your pants in a twist?” Viola asked.

Jamie couldn’t say anything. She was too worked up for words. After a few moments of silence, Viola continued.

“Fine. I’ll do the talking then. You’re head over heels for the hot blonde that’s been hanging all over you all night, but you’re too busy psyching yourself out to actually make a real move, _but_ you’re not buried in enough denial to resist jumping into a jealous rage the minute someone else shows their interest in her. Does that about sum it all up?”

Jamie slumped against the wall, sighing heavily. “Yep. That’s everythin’.”

She meant it to sound deffensive, but it came out sounding pitiful. Pathetic even. Viola tilted her head to the side as she took everything in. Her features softened, etched with genuine concern.

“I’ve known you for a long time. You’re capable of a lot by yourself, there’s no doubt about that, but I worry you’ve created this rigid mindset where you’re convinced you _have_ to go through everything alone. Like you can’t fathom the possibility of happiness from letting someone else help you or care about you.” Viola grabbed Jamie’s arms commanding her full attention with the gesture. “No one, absolutely _no one_ , deserves happiness more than you. It’s ok to be selfish, to do something just for you, especially when it comes to falling in love.”

Crippling panic took hold at the mention of love.

She wasn’t in love with Dani. She couldn’t be in love with Dani. It was way too soon to know something like that. Wasn’t it?!

As if sensing her growing anxiety, Viola gently shook Jamie’s arms, tightening her hold.

“See what I mean?! Just the concept of letting someone new in your heart throws you over the edge.”

Jamie took a few deep breathes. Her panic slowly fading away with each exhalation. Soon the pounding in her chest began to quiet.

“I really like her, Vi.” Jamie quietly admitted. She wasn't entirely sure who needed to hear that more, her or Viola.

Viola smiled letting go of Jamie’s arms. “I know. How do you feel about that?”

“Honestly? Bloody terrified! When I’m with her I feel... _everythin’_.”

“You’ve got it _bad_. So bad! It’s really sweet to finally see you like this!”

“It’s not sweet, it’s confusin’. Distractin’. I’m not in control of myself when I’m around her.”

“Have you talked to her about any of this?”

Jamie shook her head no in response.

“Maybe you should."Viola continued, discreetly glancing towards the kitchen, "Judging by the way she looks at you, she’s got it just as bad as you do.”

Jamie couldn’t deny that Dani felt something for her, but there was no way to know if the extent of it went beyond physical attraction. Not without asking her directly. After resolving to talk to Dani, Jamie and Viola wandered back to the beer pong table. They arrived just as Dani’s team finished celebrating their victory. Dani sauntered over towards Jamie, her mood shifting away from jubilant into a quiet unease as her eyes landed on Viola only once, before instantly snapping back to Jamie.

“Do you want to dance?” Dani abruptly asked.

“Uhh.”

Before Jamie could say single coherent word, Dani snatched the beer from her hand draining the remaining contents. She disposed of the cup somewhere nearby. Then proceeded to grab the collar of Jamie’s flannel pulling gently in the direction of the dance floor. Jamie followed as Dani weaved through the crowd towards an empty space big enough for just the two of them.

The air amidst the throng of couples swaying in close proximity was electric. The powerful pulsing bass reverberated through their bodies, fueling the dancers with a need to be as close as possible to one another. Jamie certainly felt it. Dani must have too.

She snaked her arms around Jamie’s neck pulling her in closer. Jamie reflectively reached for Dani’s waist. She concentrated on matching Dani’s movements as she swayed her hips to the quick beat of the song. Jamie tried to keep up, but her tipsy state worked against her making her movements clumsy.

Dani didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she simply did not care. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment as she pressed up against Jamie leaving no space between them, hands lowering and digging hard into the muscles of Jamie’s back. On reflex, Jamie’s fingers tightened on the warm skin of Dani’s hips pulling her closer. The flesh beneath Dani’s grip stung as she clung on even tighter. Jamie was fairly certain there would be tiny red marks littering her back come morning.

Dancing with Dani was addictive, but something felt off about it. Her languid movements were overexaggerated and seemed a bit performative. The way her hands roughly dug into Jamie’s backside bordered on possessive. Dani danced like she was determined to prove something. Regardless of the reason, Jamie responded to every single touch losing control with each passing second.

She visibly shivered when Dani clawed into her muscles and silently wished for more when Dani released her iron grip. She audibly moaned or maybe even growled, it was difficult to know for sure over the blaring music, when Dani spun around pressing her entire back into Jamie’s front grinding down hard into her groin. Jamie kept her arms out to the side caging Dani in but not trapping her. Trying without success to keep some semblance of control over her own actions. But Dani had other plans. She grabbed Jamie’s right hand pulling it into her upper abdomen just below her chest, sliding it down slowly against her body until it rested on her thigh keeping her own hand firmly on top of Jamie’s. Jamie’s fingers squeezed the soft flesh, stifling a gasp. Dani reached back over her shoulder with her free hand grabbing Jamie’s neck, pulling Jamie in even closer.

“If you like the way that feels, you should really try it without the jeans.”

Jamie’s alcohol and lust riddled mind tried to process what Dani just said, but as her brain replayed the words for a third time Dani popped her hips backwards derailing every line of thought in Jamie’s mind. In the end, all that was left was carnal hunger.

“Maybe we should get out of here and find out?” Dani purred. Their faces mere centimeters apart. The pungent smell the alcohol on Dani’s breath gave Jamie pause. She feared Dani wasn’t in the right state of mind for this proposition. Jamie swallowed her own desire to let go, putting on the brakes for the both of them.

“Yes, let’s get out of _here_.” Jamie agreed as another idea popped into her mind.

Jamie lead Dani off the dance floor and out into the bracing cold air in hopes of quickly sobering them enough to clear their heads and hormones before they did something they’d later regret. They walked from the front door steps towards the dimly lit park next to Owen’s apartment complex.

Jamie took a seat at the abandoned picnic table. “Ok, I think we’re in need of a talk.”

Dani paced back and forth silently stewing and picking at her nails.

“Ok, fine." Jamie continued. "I’ll start. What’s goin’ on? You weren’t actin’ like yourself just now.”

Dani stopped dead in her tracks as a look of anger flashed across her face.

“Not like myself? Am I not allowed to _touch_ you or is it only ok when tall, leggy soccer players do it?”

“Dani what are you- ” Jamie tried to clarify, but Dani cut her off midsentence as if she didn’t hear her.

“-I know we never technically had _the talk_ and we never agreed to be exclusive, but I respect myself too much to sit back and watch my supposed date flirt with someone else right in front of me.”

Dani’s chest was heaving and her clenched fists shaking.

Jamie sat there perplexed, unable to think of another person she looked at let alone touched that wasn't Dani. She wracked her brain with something to say that would clear up this misunderstanding without Dani further upsetting her.

“I wasn’t- I wouldn’t-”, An odd thought crossed Jamie’s mind. Someone did literally shake her back into her senses using her own hands not too long ago.

“Do mean Viola? We’re just friends. Nothin’ more.”

Dani huffed. Her body deflated as she released the long-strangled sigh, like a star collapsing in on itself.

“Like we are _just_ friends?”

Hearing the reality of their situation out loud from Dani struck a weird chord. While they had yet to define their relationship, calling them friends seemed wrong.

Jamie sat there in silence, paralyzed as her previously buried thoughts and emotions on this topic rose to the surface. Dani slumped onto the table next to her. Their legs dangled centimeters apart as they swung back and forth.

“What if I did that in front of you?” Dani asked. Her voice small and fragile.

The question immediately triggered the mental images of Jamie’s teammate touching Dani’s during the beer pong game and the look of hunger on Denny’s face when he hitting on Dani. Her skin prickled, and blood boiled as jealousy flooded her system threatening to override all of her other senses. She clenched her jaw holding her tongue steady, worried she would say the wrong thing in her current state.

Silence wasn’t enough for Dani. Not this time.

“Tell me the truth, Jamie. Would you really be ok if I was seeing someone else?”

There it was. Her chance to be honest.

“No.” Jamie answered, taking a few deep breathes to center herself before looking up to meet Dani’s gaze, spotting a glimmer of hope sparkling in her cerulean eyes.

“Do you want to see other people?” Dani asked, her tone laced with uncertainty.

Jamie firmly held Dani’s eyeline, answering firmly without hesitation. “No.”

“Ok.” Dani said releasing a sigh of relief. Her shoulders relaxing, “I have to be honest. I-I’ve never done anything like this before. I-it’s-this- it’s all new, for me.”

“Oh… _oh_.”

“Yeah.” Dani sighed heavily.

Jamie fought the urge to reach out and comfort her. Afraid of spooking Dani in her state of vulnerability.

“Is _this_ too much for you?” Jamie didn’t specify, but Dani quickly caught on to what she meant.

“No. Not _that_ part.” Dani admitted quieting Jamie’s fears. She reached over grabbing Dani’s hand gently squeezing it. “The thing is, I just got out of a relationship that’s basically lasted my entire life and I wasn’t planning on jumping into anything like that any time soon. There’s some stuff I need to figure out for myself you know? Like what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

“Oh yeah, the easy stuff. No pressure at all.” Jamie said trying to lighten the mood.

Dani laughed. A real laugh. The sound was sweet and contagious. Jamie couldn’t help but join in feeling a little bit lighter with every giggle.

“Look, Poppins. We don’t have to figure everythin’ out now- ”

“-No, but I think we need to figure somethings out.”

“Ok. My turn for honesty then.” Jamie rubbed her free hand on her knees to calm her nerves. Dani picked up on Jamie’s shift in mood. She began brushing her thumb lightly against the knuckles of Jamie’s other hand. Her gentle touch soothing Jamie’s anxieties, encouraging her to continue. “My life was nice and borin’ before you turned up and I want to keep it that way – I _need_ to keep it that way. I can’t get distracted and let everythin' fall apart. Not again. So, if we agree to do this- this just you and me thing- it might work best for the both of us if we don’t add any extra pressure. No label. Just take it day by day.”

“Yes, ok.” Dani agreed, flashing a toothy smile. “One day at a time. I think we can both manage that.”

“Besides, I don’t want to get your hopes up. I’ve never been in a relationship before. Good chance I'm absolute shite at it.”

Jamie’s second attempt at humor was a bit more revealing than she intended it to be. Her anxiety quickly returned threatening to overpower her again, but it didn’t. Dani squeezed her hand with reassurance and looked at her, really looked with honest compassion melting away all lingering insecurities.

“I seriously doubt that.” Dani said. Her husky voice filled to the brim with emotions tugged at Jamie’s heart strings. She leaned in Jamie’s space to kiss her. It was chaste but fueled with purpose, like they were sealing a promise to one another. The effects of it left a warm fuzzy feeling nestled deep in Jamie’s chest and a lopsided grin on Dani’s face when they inevitably broke apart.

“You're in luck. I’m actually known for being super boring.” Dani boasted with a shrug.

There were many words Jamie could use to describe Dani, but boring definitely wasn't one of them.

“Is that so?” Jamie challenged with a light laugh.

“Absolutely.” Dani insisted, “In fact, I know several ways we can keep this thing between us as boring as possible.”

“Can’t wait to hear them all.” Jamie smiled, humoring Dani’s bold claims.

“First, we should go back to the party.” Dani said, nodding her head towards the apartment. “It was pretty boring in there if you ask me.”

Jamie laughed again at Dani’s adorable reasoning. “Hands down the worst party I’ve ever been to. No fun at all.”

“Exactly! Oh, and tomorrow, we’ll go to the library. There is nothing more boring than being responsible on a Saturday.”

“That sounds like the most boring date imaginable.”

Dani playful smirked. “I’m just getting warmed up. There’s plenty more boring where that came from.”

* * *

Go to the library she said.

It would be boring she said.

Was spontaneously making out hot and heavy in an abandoned and secluded section of the library boring?

Jamie couldn’t help it from happening.

Dani looked so cute, sticking her tongue out when she concentrated on digesting a difficult concept. Sparks were flying freely between them each time their legs brushed together under the table when Dani crossed and uncrossed her legs. Jamie was absolutely helpless when Dani asked romantic questions like, “Do you know where the bathroom is?”

What was she supposed to do, NOT grab Dani’s hand and lead her towards the bathroom? Was she then also NOT supposed to get distracted by Dani flicking her hair to the side all romantic like while she sashayed her hips as she walked? Was she also NOT supposed to give in to her all-consuming need to divert their course from the bathroom and immediately press Dani up against the stack of books making out with her as if her life depended on it?

Ok maybe she shouldn’t have done any of that, but it was too late now. She was quite literally too wrapped up in Dani to do anything about it other than do what came naturally in the moment.

“You’re really good at that.” Dani mumbled as Jamie sucked at her pulse point, something Jamie knew simultaneously derailed Dani’s thoughts and turned her on. Jamie chucked, deliberately breathing along the cool skin of Dani’s neck watching her eyes flutter with ecstasy.

“I’m good at all kinds of things.” She purred before reattaching their lips, slipping her tongue into Dani’s welcoming mouth. Jamie pushed past the burning in her lungs from lack of oxygen succumbing to the desperate need to be close to Dani, to connect with her in any way she could. Unable to focus on literally anything else.

She’d been unable to properly focus on anything since their very first kiss. Initially, Jamie thought if she just gave into her physical attraction and acted on her urges, then maybe she could get this out of her system and regain her focus. But it was never enough. Not even close.

Every interaction with Dani left Jamie unfinished. Seeking to know more about her, craving to spend more time with her, longing to feel the way she did when she was around her.

She just wanted so much _more_.

And she really hoped Dani felt the same way.

Dani eventually broke the kiss, coming up for air. “Jamie,” she mumbled in between labored breathes, “I-I really do have to pee.”

“Oh.” Jamie said as Dani’s true reason for seeking the bathroom finally made more sense. She released her hold on Dani, backing away and allowing the blonde to walk away on wobbly legs towards the loo.

After that, the remainder of their Saturday afternoon study date was as boring as could be expected. They managed to avoid any further private time in dark corners of the library and actually got some work done. By the time they decided to pack up and leave, Jamie was ahead on her marketing project and Dani completed all her required reading for her up and coming Biology quiz.

They left the library together, walking for as long as they could in the same direction before they absolutely needed to part ways. As they approached the quad where they agreed to separate, Jamie finally worked up the nerve to get something off her chest.

“Would you like to go on a proper date?” Jamie blurted out, stopping Dani dead in her tracks.

“You mean a just you and me thing?” Dani asked with curiosity.

“Yes. Not here. We'll go somewhere away from school. Uh, maybe later on this week?”

Dani shrugged, acting coy as she moved into Jamie’s space. “Will this proper date be even more boring than today?”

“Dreadfully so.”

Dani smiled nodding her head yes. She leaned in planting a soft kiss on Jamie’s cheek causing the skin beneath her lips to tingle.

Jamie lingered for a moment, watching Dani walk away in the direction of her dorm. Her thoughts running wild with possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience! These 5k chapters take a bit longer for me to make readable. Hopefully, it was worth the wait!
> 
> I'd love to hear all your thoughts and feelings about this one!
> 
> Also, soccer!Jamie or party!Jamie? Who wore it best?


	5. Imagine That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on a true story...

“-And then, out of nowhere he asked!” Hannah gushed practically leaping out of her seat unable to contain her excitement. “I truly wasn’t expecting it. Honestly! It was all so perfect.”

“The element of surprise is a gentleman’s best friend.” Owen said as a faint blush crept across his cheeks. The second their eyes locked, his face morphed into a sickeningly sweet, dopey grin.

“That’s really great. I’m so happy for the both of you!” Dani added with a sincere smile.

Honestly, she was beyond thrilled Owen finally summoned the courage to ask out her best friend after the two had spent way too much time flirting around the topic. Clearly Hannah was too. She was practically bouncing off the walls of their dorm room since it happened last night.

Despite her own elation, Dani couldn’t stop picking at her nails. A nervous habit she was never able to curb. Nor could she stop her mind from wandering back to Jamie. Jamie, the sexy, distracting soccer player she kind of sort of asked out two nights ago who then asked her out in return the very next day. The same person who texted her non-stop last night and now, nothing. Just silence. To be fair, Jamie did mention she would be busy today. But still, Dani was hoping for at least a small crumb of a text to hold her over.

“Dani?” Hannah asked, “Where’d you go? You looked like you were miles away.”

“Uh, sorry. I’m a little… distracted.” Dani shook her head and shoved her hands under her thighs to save what little remained of her nailbeds.

“Jamie troubles?” Owen asked.

Dani released a small laugh of frustration. “No, not troubles.” She sighed heavily, “More like unexpected silence. Things were going well over the past few days. We- well, we agreed to become _a we_ and I felt like we were _connecting_ really well.”

Her choice of words earned her a few suggestively raised eyebrows and bouts of cheeky laughter from her friends.

“Not like _that_.” Dani quickly corrects them. As she does, memories of their study session in the library flash in the back of her mind contradicting her last statement and causing her cheeks to burn. “- Ok not _just_ like that. I meant emotionally connecting. Like we were finally on the same page, but then today… Nothing. It’s like night and day. I can’t make sense of it.”

Dani noticed Owen’s face subtly twitch as he avoided making eye contact with her.

“Owen…” Dani said cautiously. “Do you know something I don’t?”

Owen sighs, shifting in his seat before glancing up to finally look at her.

“It’s Sunday. I’m sure she’s told you she’s busy today. Right?”

“She did. Said it was something personal.” Dani admitted.

Owen nodded. “Yeah, it is. It’s not my place to say any more than that.”

Owen’s answer was not what Dani was looking for. It was hardly answer at all. Just a non-answer that left an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach and her mind racing, chasing frayed threads of uncertainty on an endless loop.

“I know it may seem odd and a bit frustrating when you don’t have the entire story,” Owen continued, “but just know that Jamie is that way that she is for a reason. She means no harm by her absence. If it’s any consolation, I can tell she’s crazy about you. Honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her like this with someone else. But I ask that you have some patience with her. It takes her a while, longer than most, to let her guard down, but once she does, you’ve got a loyal, loving friend for life. Give her some time to open up on her own terms. Perhaps, you’ll find she’s worth the bit of extra effort.”

Dani sits with that sentiment, mulling it over for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon, Dani parts with Hannah and Owen opting to get out of her dorm and her own head long enough to be productive. Naturally she avoids the library and settles on hunkering down at the nicer pastry shop on campus. It was one of the few local establishments that served a decent cup of coffee. After purchasing a dark roast and an almond croissant, Dani commandeered an unoccupied table and chair by the window.

By some miracle, she managed to study for her biology quiz with minimal distractions. Focusing on simplifying the complexity of the vertebral central nervous system by breaking it down into its core elements. It was the only way she knew how to tackle schoolwork. Dismantle the whole into tiny, digestible fragments. Then put the pieces back together, connecting them into a simple story anyone could understand. Studying was something she excelled at and was able to assist others with too. Her notoriety even earned her a small, tightknit study group with a few friends and Eddie that assembled earlier last semester. Each week, Dani would lead the group, helping them understand topics they struggled to understand. She took great pride in it, especially with Eddie. It was one of the last remaining areas of common ground between them. Sharing in his joy when he succeeded was a small victory for herself. Overall, it was a rewarding experience. One she missed.

She’d been avoiding the study group since she broke up with Eddie leaving her to study alone.

After finishing her coffee and second pastry, Dani transitioned from schoolwork to researching careers. She opened the document on her laptop titled “Careers” which was a word document that read: Jobs?

She sighed, clicking on her web browser. After bringing up Bly University’s homepage, Dani made her way to the education section, scrolling through the list of available majors and graduate programs jotting down ones of potential interest.

The more she researched, the more frustrated she became. Her problem wasn’t that nothing sounded appealing. It was the quite the opposite. Everything sounded interesting! Dani would love to learn about Russian literature, astrophysics, marine biology, childhood psychology, and advanced mathematics. The idea of becoming a forever student crossed her mind, but, as appealing as that sounded, she knew it wasn’t a viable career as she wasn’t lucky enough to have a bottomless trust fund to support her.

Narrowing down a viable career to something that both captivated her attention and gave her satisfaction was proving to be impossible.

Passion.

That was the piece that alluded her. Passion was something she couldn’t find from scrolling through a website. No matter how many times she tried.

Dani took a break from staring hopelessly at her computer screen. She rubbed her weary eyes before looking out the window, noting the distinct orange hue in the sky. She retrieved her phone, checking it for the first time since arriving at the shop. Her heart plummeted when there are no new messages to greet her. She quickly brushed this off, taking note of the late hour. Dani packed up her belongings deciding to head to her dorm before it became too dark and cold outside.

The walk back to her dorm helps clear her head. By the time Dani returns to her room, she feels lighter, more relaxed, and also very tired from her productive day. The room was warm and peaceful. Hannah was nowhere in sight, presumably with Owen somewhere. Dani quickly decided to take advantage of the tranquility and take short nap to recover.

Later on, she was awoken by a few rapid knocks at the door. She switched on the lamp sitting on her nightstand, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She then proceeded to get her groggy and disoriented self out of bed and open the door.

At first, she thought she was dreaming.

Jamie was standing in her doorway in joggers and long sleeve Bly Uni women’s football t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back away from her face with a feel rouge curls poking out. There was a noticeable sheen of sweat on her forehead.

“Hey Poppins.” Jamie said in between labored breathes.

“Hi.” Dani began. Her voice was deeper, husky with sleep. “What are you doing here?”

Jamie smiled shyly. “Took a detour from my night run around campus. Wanted to come say hi.”

“You were running… at night… wearing that? You must be freezing! You should really take your jacket. Here, I’ll just grab-” Dani halts when a surprisingly warm hand engulfed her wrists holding her in place.

“-It’s ok. Honest. I do a lap around campus every night. Barely notice the cold once I get goin’.”

“O-oh, ok. Wow, the whole campus? That’s a lot of running.” Dani commented in awe. She has trouble just walking to class let alone running laps around it without keeling over.

“I suppose.” Jamie began. She rubbed circles along the inside of Dani’s wrists as she spoke. “Keeps me in shape. Can’t look winded during a game otherwise I’ll get benched.”

“Seems harsh.” Dani managed to mutter, trying to focus on Jamie’s words and not the tingling sensation creeping along her skin underneath Jamie’s finger pads.

Jamie shrugged. “Survival of the fittest.”

“Well, you look very fit to me.”

Jamie’s eyes lit up with mischief. She released her hold on Dani’s wrist moving closer into her space. “I feel fit too.” Jamie’s suggestive tone short-circuited Dani’s brain, dismantling her brain to mouth filter.

“Uh, yeah. I can imagine- I mean, well _look at_ you. Ha, I-I’ve- a-and you are-”

Thankfully, Jamie had the sense stop Dani from finishing whatever that sentence was. The moment their mouths connected, the grinding in Dani’s brain stops and her whirlwind of emotions settle. Kissing Jamie gave Dani the singular clarity she had been lacking all day. She hums into it, reflectively snaking her hands around Jamie’s neck. Playing with the loose strands of damp hair at the nape of her neck. Soon, Jamie’s arms are wrapped around her waist pulling her closer. They were so close. Dani could feel Jamie’s heart beating against her. Strong and steady.

Eventually they break apart, resting their foreheads together as they catch their breath. A new type of shroud took over, engulfing her as Jamie’s presence invaded all of her senses. Dani was powerless to stop it. All she could do was feel it. All of it. The happiness, the excitement, the trepidation. With Jamie it was all there and somehow, unlike with Eddie, it was all just _more_.

“Is it weird that I missed you today?” Dani whispered unable to stop the words from tumbling out.

“Not unless it’s weird I missed you too.” Jamie purred. Her warm breath ghosting Dani’s lips as she spoke. “Sorry for dissapearin’. Sundays are busy and _exhaustin’_. Easy to lose track of time.” The candor tugged at Dani’s heart strings. Jamie’s voice sounded fatigued, weighed down by the gravity something unspoken, hiding in between the lines.

“It’s ok. You’re here now.” Dani reached out with her index finger, tracing Jamie’s sharp jawline. Her heart flutters when Jamie leans into the touch.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you this Friday.”

“Can’t wait.” Dani said with a giddy smile. She was already looking forward to their date.

Jamie tilted her head placing one last chaste kiss on her lips before stepping away.

“Better get back to it then. Have a good night Poppins.”

“Good night Jamie.” Dani watched for few seconds, getting one last glimpse of Jamie before going back inside.

The next few days went by in a one jumbled hectic blur.

The beginning of the week marked the start of December, which meant finals were just around the corner. Teachers piled on extra assignments and tossed out pop quizzes left and right leaving Dani with scant free time. Which, unfortunately, meant practically no time to see Jamie. They kept in touch. Sporadically texting throughout out the week.

Jamie was just as busy as she was. It seemed her teachers were just as hell bent on giving her extra work. On top of that, she had two soccer games this week. Unfortunately, the game on Tuesday was off campus and too far away for Dani to attend. Jamie’s excited victory phone call after the game was the longest interaction they had since Jamie’s surprise visit at her dorm room. It was nice to hear her voice, but still left Dani wanting. She did her best to power through the remainder of the week clinging to Friday as her beacon of hope.

By the time Friday night mercifully came around, Dani was buzzing with excitement despite her utter exhaustion. Mostly because she was at Jamie’s soccer game which was becoming her new favorite past time. This particular game had Dani on the edge of her seat.

The teams were evenly matched making every second of play a brutal battle. Poor Jamie was unable to set one toe inside the opponent’s penalty box during the entire first half. The hotly contested forty-five-minute half ended in a 0-0 draw with very little pay off for either team. By the second half, the players were desperate, fighting tooth and nail for any meager advantage.

Finally, with fifteen minutes left in the game, the Bly sweeper managed to lob the ball out into open space. Jamie darted for it, meeting the ball and seamlessly dribbling it along the right flank towards the open goal. Jamie ran, pumping her arms to the side as a lone defender trailed behind. The defender caught up enough to slide tackle reaching for the ball with her extended leg, missing entirely and clipping Jamie’s ankle instead. The collision brought Jamie toppling to the ground just outside of the penalty box. Dani was on her feet filled to the brim with worry. Straining her eyes for any sign of movement. She released a breath she did realize she was holding when Jamie shifted onto her back clutching her right leg into her chest.

“Ohh this is bad.” Owen muttered under his breath.

“Why?” Dani asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“She’s not standing up right away.”

Jamie never did. Soon the medic rushed onto the field obstructing Dani’s view. She got a glimpse of Jamie again, when she was carried off the field and another player was sent in to replace her. Dani’s interest in the outcome of the game was overshadowed by her concern for Jamie’s wellbeing. Her eyes glued to the sidelines, watching the medic fuss over Jamie.

The game ended in a stalemate. At least that’s what Hannah told her. Dani was too busy counting down the minutes until she could rush onto the field to notice. When the final whistle blew, Dani did just that.

She hurried to the pitch. Anxiously pacing the side lines as the team finished their post-game pow wow waiting for the green light to cross the field.

“Ease up on the nails love.” Hannah commented, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder stopping Dani dead in her tracks.

Dani nodded quickly crossing her arms across her chest. Hannah offered her a small smile in return.

“Jamie’s a tough one. It’s going to be ok.” Owen offered as he took his place along-side Hannah.

When the gaggle of white jerseys scattered out of their circular formation, Dani took that as her cue to approach. She power walked the length of the field towards the bench where Jamie sat. Her ankle was wrapped with a hefty bag of ice attached to it. Dani drew closer just as the medic was leaving.

“A whole bloody week!” Jamie yelled in frustration.

“It could have been worse.” Rebecca consoled. She handed Jamie a pair of crutches. A grimace etched with abhorrence graced Jamie’s features as she took hold of the metal objects.

“A week off is bad Becs.” Jamie whined in protest. “The playoffs are only a few weeks away.” She rose onto her good foot leaning on the crutches for support.

“Yes, they are. Which is why you need to give your body time to rest and heal. We’re gonna need you.”

Dani took a few tentative steps closer until Jamie noticed her.

“Are you ok?” Dani asked. Desperate for an answer, not even bothering to conceal the concern in her voice.

Jamie released a frustrated sigh. “I’m fine. It’s nothin’ really.”

“What she means to say is it will turn into nothing as long as she does exactly what the physical therapist instructed her to do which is to rest.” Rebecca chided as she walked off. Jamie rolled her eyes in response. It pained Dani to see Jamie like this. So clearly agitated and hurt, wincing in pain as she adjusted her weight. On instinct, Dani reached out, grabbing Jamie’s arm. Overcome by an overwhelming need to touch her, to feel that she was ok.

Jamie’s features instantly softened at the contact.

“Looks like I blew the game.” She released an unsteady breath. “And our big date seein’ as my drivin’ foot is now busted.”

“You didn’t blow anything. Don’t be ridiculous.” Dani said, trying to reassure Jamie. “What can I do to help?”

“Do you know how to drive a stick shift?” Rebecca asked as she approached with two soccer bags slung over her shoulders.

“Uh, drive… In England? Ha, no! Now if we were taking driving a stick in America… Also no.”

Rebecca huffed, glaring from Dani over to Jamie. “You two are bloody perfect for each other.”

“I can handle the truck, Becs.” Hannah offered. Rebecca nodded, tossing over the keys to Jamie’s truck.

They all make their way from the pitch to the parking lot heading in the direction of Jamie’s truck. Dani lagged behind keeping pace with Jamie as she hobbled along on her crutches. The group piled into the vehicle. Owen sat in the cabin with Hannah while the other three took a seat in the flat bed. Together they traversed the campus to Jamie and Rebecca’s flat proceeding with extreme caution and in a very, very slow fashion.

“Sorry for the change in plans tonight.” Jamie apologized.

“There is nothing for you to be sorry about.” Dani reassured her. “I was just looking forward to spending time with you tonight, that’s all. I’m sorry you’re in pain right now. How bad is it?"

“Oh, I’ve been through worse.”

The truck jostled as Hannah steered them over a modest bump in the road. Jamie winced in pain and closed her eyes releasing a strained exhalation. Dani reached out grabbing Jamie’s hand. She brushed across her knuckles with her thumb for the rest of the journey.

Once Hannah parked the truck, Rebecca and Dani carefully extracted Jamie from the vehicle and helped her into the apartment. Hannah and Owen carried in the bags, returned the keys, and then parted ways with the group.

Rebecca insisted on drawing Jamie a bath, since standing in the shower was too hazardous for her at the moment, leaving Jamie and Dani alone in the living room.

“You know, you don’t have to stay behind and babysit me tonight.”

Dani feigned offense at Jamie’s statement. “Trying to get rid of me already? Now, I’m starting to think you faked this whole ankle business just to get out of our date.”

“Not in a million years.” Jamie laughed. It was sweet, Dani couldn’t help but join in.

“I only meant that I don’t want spoil your fun tonight. I’ll be fine here. Been takin’ care of myself for years. Made it this far haven’t I?”

“Yes,” Dani began, “and maybe you’ll make it a little farther with a bit of help. Besides, I want to help you and I’m going to help no matter how much you protest.”

Jamie’s eyes widened in surprise clearly impressed. “Is that so?”

Dani nodded yes.

“Glad to have someone else that is levelheaded around here.” Rebecca said as she emerged from the bathroom. Her features looked softer. She smiled at Dani mouthing the words “Thank you” as she hovered behind Jamie’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Rebecca placed her hand on Jamie’s shoulder guiding her into the bathroom. When she was done assisting Jamie, she came back out into the living room to talk to Dani.

“Ok, so I wrote down the instructions the medic gave us for taking care of Jamie’s ankle. I was hoping you could help out with her recovery.” Rebecca handed the crumpled paper over to Dani. She flattened it and then quickly scanned the contents. “Basically, she needs to stay off of it, keep it elevated, and ice it on and off every twenty minutes while she is awake tonight. If she’s in a lot of pain, she can take some ibuprofen to help ease the pain and swelling. That’s if you can get her to take them. I love her, but Jamie can be too stubborn for her own good at times. She’s not one to accept help easily.”

“Yeah, I get that. What makes you think she’ll listen to me?” Dani asked out of curiosity.

Rebecca smiled softly. “Just a hunch.”

After reviewing the instructions, Rebecca took her leave retiring to her quarters while Dani waited on the couch for Jamie to return. She passed the time by responding to Hannah’s multiple messages regarding Jamie’s wellbeing with all the updates until she heard the distinct clinking of Jamie’s crutches.

Jamie emerged from her room freshly cleaned with damp curls. Clad in mesh shorts that highlighted her exquisite leg muscles paired with a matching dark blue long sleeve t-shirt with the Bly Uni logo.

“Are you naturally full of school spirit?” Dani asked, referring to Jamie’s choice in attire.

It was truly mind boggling how Jamie made every outfit look incredible, but Dani did find it slightly amusing that Jamie had a seemingly endless collection of college paraphernalia. 

Jamie chuckled, hobbling over and joining Dani on the couch. She propped her injured leg up on the coffee table. “Ha, not so much. But I am a fan of all the free clothes I get. Perk of being an athlete. Besides, this one is so soft. How could I not wear it?”

Jamie offered the sleeve of her shirt for Dani to touch. “Hmm, that is one soft shirt.” Dani admitted. Jamie grinned in triumph.

All right ladies!” Dani jumped back in her seat, surprised by Rebecca’s voice. She pivoted her head, spotting Rebecca sporting a tight-fitting scarlet dress. “I’ll be sure to have a drink in your honor.”

“There’s still a party tonight?” Dani asked.

“Yeah, we tied not lost!” Rebecca grabbed her large puffy coat from the coat hanger by the door. “Don’t wait up.” She winked and then exited the flat out into the night.

Jamie leaned back against the couch cushion suddenly looking sullen.

“Seriously, Poppins. You can go if you like. I don’t want to keep you from havin’ fun tonight.”

“What makes you think I’m not having fun now?” Dani glanced at Jamie, taking pleasure in the rosy tinge creeping along Jamie’s cheeks at her admission. “Besides, I’m not much of a party goer. The only reason I met you in the first place was because Hannah dragged me to that party.”

“Yeah, still workin’ out how to properly thank her for that.” Jamie said with a crooked smile causing Dani to blush in exchange.

They agreed to make the most of their situation and watch a movie together. Of course, Dani had some terms. Namely, that she would take care of Jamie’s ankle for the duration of the movie. Jamie caved when it became painfully apparent this wasn’t negotiable. Her only term was to move into her bedroom since her bed was more spacious than the couch.

As expected, Jamie’s room was tidy and pristine. Free of extraneous anything. There were a few pictures taped to the corner wall surrounding her bed. Some of her brothers, ones from soccer games, and few candid photos of Jamie with Owen and Rebecca.

Jamie leaned the crutches against her desk in front of the lone window, jumping a few paces over to her full-sized bed. Dani left Jamie to get comfortable while she collected the rest of the supplies for Jamie’s ankle. When she came back, Jamie was settled on the bed lying on her back with a pillow under her head and balancing a laptop on her stomach. Dani settled onto the bed, sitting perpendicular to Jamie with her back resting along the wall. She gingerly placed Jamie’s injured foot in her lap to keep it elevated. She gently held the ice against the swollen skin that was already littered with several sizable purple blotches.

Dani glanced at the computer screen. She was pleasantly surprised by Jamie’s choice in streaming services.

“You have a subscription to Disney plus?”

“Yeah, don’t a lot of people?” Jamie retorted.

“Yes,” Dani explained, “but a lot of people aren’t you. You just don’t strike me as the Disney type.”

Jamie quirked an eyebrow in response. “Really? What _type_ do I strike you as then?”

“I think you want everyone to think you only watch the news and sports games. But I think you’re secretly a sucker for heartwarming story.”

Jamie laughed. “Well, I’ll have you know I’m full of surprises. Plus, I’ve got a wee brother for whom this is for.”

“Uh-huh. Sure, it is.”

They settled on the first movie in the queue: Ratatouille. Which Jamie claimed was a classic and just so happened to be her little brother’s favorite. In fact, Mikey loved it so much that he now wants to be a chef when he grows up.

Dani admitted she had never seen the movie and deferred to Jamie and Mikey’s judgement on this one.

Turns out it was an excellent choice. Dani was enthralled from the very start. She only took her eyes off the screen when her phone timer went off signaling it was time to rotate the ice on and off Jamie’s ankle. Jamie must have been able to tell Dani was enjoying the movie. She made it a point to pause it while Dani did her nurse duties to make sure she didn’t miss a single second. When the movie ended, Dani was on the verge of tears thoroughly moved by the film.

“You ok?” Jamie asked out of concern.

“Yeah,” Dani choked out, blinking away her tears. “I’m just happy he was able to find it. The thing he loves to do and just go for it with everything he had. And it worked out! Against all odds. Not all of us are so lucky.”

“I’m not so sure you’re right about that. If watchin’ all these heartwarmin’ stories has taught me anythin’ at all, it’s that things work out for us all. Just takes time.”

Dani nodded in agreement feeling better after Jamie’s words of assurance.

“Speaking of things working out, you officially held up your end of the bargain. Your ankle has been sufficiently cared for. How does it feel?”

“Better but still hurts a little.” Jamie admitted, looking a bit bashful. “Would you mind grabbin’ me a few pain killers?”

“Well would you look at that. Jamie Taylor asking for help. You really are full of surprises.”

Dani carefully slipped out from under Jamie’s leg. She leaned in and kissed Jamie on the cheek, over the moon that Jamie actually asked her for help. She retrieved a glass of water from the kitchen and the ibuprofen tablets Rebecca left out for Jamie. When Dani returned to the bedroom, she noticed Jamie shifted and was now sitting up with her feet outstretched on the far end of the bed along the wall.

Jamie patted the empty space as an invitation for Dani to sit next to her, which she did. Jamie took her meds while Dani searched for the next movie. Ultimately, she decided on something familiar and less likely to make her an emotional mess.

A few minutes into watching Tangled, they laid down together. Jamie rested her arm around Dani’s shoulder while Dani rested her head on Jamie’s chest. Jamie absentmindedly rubbed tiny circles along her shoulder. Dani relaxed into the touch, melting into Jamie’s warm body. As the movie played out, Dani worked up the courage to feel more of Jamie. Her fingers danced along Jamie’s abdomen, tracing every muscle through the soft cotton shirt. She continued to watch the movie as her hands roam higher continuing to skirt along the soft fabric. Prodding muscles and ribs. Her finger pads settled over a notch in the fabric. She pressed down trying to smooth it out to no avail. It was Jamie’s sharp inhalation that gave her pause. When she looked down, she quickly noted the exact placement of her fingers and quickly deduced that Jamie’s t-shirt was not bunched at all. She just rounded second base by accident… and her hand was still there, frozen in place, fondling Jamie’s breast.

Dani went into an immediate state of shock. Mind blank. Too panicked too looked at anything other than her own hand.

Neither of them moved. The only sound in the room was their own breathing.

After what felt like an eternity, Dani tried to slowly move her hand away, but Jamie stopped her. Gently grabbing her wrist.

“It’s ok.” Jamie whispered. Her calm tone was soothing and free of judgement.

Dani tilted her head locking eyes with Jamie. Jamie smiled slowly moving Dani’s hand lower, underneath her own shirt, resting Dani’s hand upon her abdomen.

“You don’t have to leave everythin’ to your imagination.” Jamie purred. The deep and sultry tone chased away Dani’s anxiety leaving the kindling of desire in its wake.

After that, Dani’s hand moved of its own accord.

Jamie’s skin was so warm and luxurious. Dani had spent the past week wondering what Jamie’s chiseled abs would feel like under her finger pads. It was even more glorious than her wildest imaginations.

As she explored Jamie’s torso, she noticed Jamie reacted to her touch. The hitch in breath when her nails traced around her belly button. The flutter of her eyelids when her fingers dipped, dancing along the hem of her waist band. The knowledge that she was causing this, she was doing this to Jamie was intoxicating.

Dani craned her neck, leaning in and captured Jamie’s lips. The kiss was innocent at first, but quickly became heated. Dani’s hands ascended higher as Jamie’s tongue slipped into her mouth. Emboldened by Jamie’s favorable reactions, Dani cupped the underside of her breast, squeezing the soft flesh. Jamie released a small whimper. It was a new sound. Echoing within Dani’s chest and reverberating throughout her body ultimately settling somewhere lower. Begging to hear it again.

So, she did it again.

Jamie’s hands were immediately on her back pulling her in closer, twisting her body trying to get closer.

“Ow, ow.” Jamie cried out. Wincing in pain in between labored breathes.

“Sorry.” Dani panted. She reattracted her hand out from under Jamie’s shirt. Afraid of causing any further harm.

“For what?” Jamie asked

“For hurting you.”

“Pretty sure you weren’t the one that had a go at my ankle, knockin’ me to the ground.” There was a slight strain in her voice. Despite the obvious discomfort, Jamie leaned in placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “Besides, somethings are worth a bit of pain.”

Dani stared into Jamie’s beautiful emerald eyes. It became abundantly clear in that moment that she had developed feelings for Jamie. Real ones. Deep ones.

Jamie was like a pearl in a sea of oysters.

She was beautiful, sweet, and rare. She was worth all the risk. 

“Yeah.” Dani said breathlessly.

She leaned in and kissed Jamie. Hoping to convey every ounce of feeling with that kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! I hope the content in this chapter made it worth the wait :D


	6. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovely by Billie Eilish and Version of Me by Sasha Sloan
> 
> For reference (because I forgot to mention this): Mikey = age 6, Dennis = age 16, Jamie = age 20

As the old saying goes, there’s a first time for everything.

On this Saturday morning, Jamie wasn’t naturally woken up by the gentle rays of sun peeking through the blinds like she usually was. Instead, it was the warm puffs of air tickling the back of her ear and the side of her neck, and the less than subtle twitches of the hand splayed across her stomach that roused her from her slumber. It was the first time Jamie woke up with someone else’s arm wrapped securely around her waist after holding her throughout the night.

Surprisingly, her initial reaction wasn’t to sneak away or to run. She didn’t recoil from the feeling of Dani’s chest pressing into her back with each breath. She didn’t want to escape from the sturdy arm around her waist. Instead, she snuggled further into the touch. Welcoming it as a newfound feeling of contentment nestled within her chest.

It was the first time in a very long time Jamie woke up happy.

She shifted, careful not to rouse Dani, turning so she could look at her while she slept.

The soft morning light gave Dani an ethereal quality like she was a weary angel resting in the presence of a mere mortal such as herself. Her golden locks cascaded across her pillow framing her face like an aureate halo. A few rogue strands graced the edge of Jamie’s pillow. From this close proximity, she could breathe in Dani’s delightful scent. It was sweet and flowery. Reminiscent of a peaceful spring outing in a luscious garden. Jamie noticed the smattering of freckles trailing from the bridge of her nose along her cheeks, like scattered stars beckoning to be mapped into constellations by gentle kisses.

Jesus, when did she turn into such a poetic sap? Because really?! Metaphors about divine beings and outer space? What has Dani done to her.

Jamie was pulled from her internal chastising by a muffled grunt. Dani’s eyes fluttered, blinking a few times as she woke up. Jamie reflexively smiled when those stunning blue eyes focused on her.

“Good mornin’.” Jamie gently whispered.

“Is it morning already? I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep.”

Falling asleep together wasn’t something either of them planned on doing. It just kind of happened. And Jamie was so thankful that it did.

“How did you sleep?” Jamie asked.

“Better than I have in a long time.” Dani answered honestly while smiling that beautiful smile of hers. The one that caused Jamie’s heart to trip over itself, thudding clumsily against her rib cage. Every single time.

“Me too.” Jamie admitted. Waking up next to Dani had a lot to do with that.

She was fueled with an overwhelming need to kiss Dani to express what she didn’t have the language to fully convey. As she leaned in, Dani covered her mouth with her hand effectively stopping Jamie’s advances.

“Jamie, don’t! I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

Morning breath was the last thing Jamie was concerned about in this moment. She chuckled as she ran her fingers through Dani’s hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear and anchoring her hand at the nape of Dani’s neck drawing her in closer. With the other, Jamie gently grabbed Dani’s, lowering her hand away from her mouth. Her hearting picking up its pace when Dani doesn’t protest.

“I don’t really care about that right now.” Jamie whispered.

She sweeps her bottom lip against Dani’s thrilling when Dani hums at the contact.

“Keep this up and I’m not going to want to leave.” Dani purred.

“Is that a challenge?” Jamie asked.

“More like a warning.”

“So, if I keep this up, then I get the privilege of wakin’ up next to you more often.” Jamie tilted her head pressing a single kiss along Dani’s neck, right below her earlobe. “Do I have that right?”

“Yesss.” Dani hissed in response as she dug her nails into Jamie’s lower back. The action ignited a fire within Jamie, coursing through her veins and coaxing her to take action. She tried to shift closer to Dani but was unpleasantly reminded of why sudden movements were a bad idea.

“I swear if my ankle didn’t scream in pain every time I moved, I’d wake up you up in a much different way.” She resumed peppering kisses along Dani’s neck delighting in the way Dani’s hands pulled her in closer. “One that would make you never want to leave.”

“You promise?” Dani asked in between shaky breathes.

“I promise.” Jamie said meaning it as much more than just a promise of sex.

She searched Dani’s features hoping to catch a glimmer of understanding. Judging by her soft lopsided smile and the intensity simmering in her hooded eyes, Dani understood the gravity of her promise.

It was the first time Jamie spent an entire day with another person without an agenda, a planned date, or something they were supposed to be doing.

They didn’t do anything monumental nor groundbreaking. The two of them simply existed in harmony while occupying the same space. They ate breakfast that Dani brought back after freshening up and changing her clothes. Afterwards they studied on the couch with Jamie’s leg propped up in Dani’s lap to keep it elevated. Later in the afternoon, Rebecca returned to the flat after her wild night of fun. They took a break from schoolwork to listen to Rebecca’s recollection of her festive evening. Somewhere during the story, Jamie reached out for Dani’s hand interlacing their fingers together. It was the first time Jamie seriously considered forgoing her party days all together. Calling it quits on passing the time with frivolity. Especially if it meant more nights like last night, and more peaceful days like today.

When Dani kissed her goodbye, it was the first time Jamie felt genuinely sad to part ways with a woman.

She wanted so badly to beg her not to leave, but ultimately decided against it.

Tomorrow was Sunday.

It was too soon for the one good thing in her life she had all to herself to get tangled up in her Sunday obligations.

When morning came around, Owen dropped by her flat to collect her.

It was the first time Jamie enlisted someone else to help with her Sunday duties since her injured ankle prevented her from driving on her own. Owen was the most logical choice given they grew up together making him the least likely person to pester her with irreverent questions or judge her in any way.

Jamie gazed out the widow watching the familiar urban streets transform into quaint country roads as they drove together in comfortable silence. Once they arrived at their destination, Owen drives as far up the expansive driveway as he could in order to minimize Jamie’s hobbling.

“All right mate,” Owen said as he shifted the truck into park, “this is where we part ways.”

He exited the vehicle, grabbed the crutches from the flat bed, and brought them over to Jamie.

“Thanks for your help. I owe you.”

“Nonsense, joy riding in your truck all day will be payment enough.” Owen said with a mischievous smirk. Jamie rolled her eyes playfully in response. She stood on her good foot, while leaning on the crutches for support.

“Just promise to bring it back in one piece.”

Owen solemnly crossed his heart over his chest. “Scout’s honor.”

After waving goodbye to Owen, Jamie approached the front entrance of the familiar gargantuan building. As usual, the large oak doors swung open before she could get close enough to knock.

“You’re here!” Mikey exclaimed as he burst through the doors charging towards her with their foster siblings trailing behind him.

“Whoa, easy there!” Jamie exclaimed, trying to stop him from his customary barreling into her. He skirted to a stop mere centimeters from her with a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Are you hurt?” A sweet high-pitched voice asked.

“Not anymore Flora, I promise. It’s gettin’ better. Just need to stay off my foot for a few days that’s all.”

“Would you like me to call Uncle Henry? He knows doctors that can help.”

“No Miles, really I’m ok. Nothin’ to worry about.” Jamie explained, trying her best to reassure the children. “Mikey, why don’t you go get Denny?” Her little brother nodded, then trotted back into the house along with Miles and Flora while Jamie trailed behind.

“Aunt Perdi! Uncle Henry! Jamie’s hurt!” Flora and Miles screeched at the top of their lungs as they scampered throughout the house effectively announcing her arrival in the most alarming way possible.

A very startled Perdita marched into the foyer. “Jamie? Is everything ok?” The older woman asked out of concern. Her curly brown hair was tied up in a scarf and she was donning her customary painting overalls with a few used brushes peeking out of the pockets. Jamie felt guilty that her arrival interrupted Perdita’s leisurely painting time. Just as Jamie opened her mouth to clear things up, Perdita’s husband came flying into the room speaking a mile a minute.

“What happened? Do you need to see a doctor? I’ll call the doctor straight away.”

“It’s ok Mr. and Mrs. Wingrave. As I was tellin’ the wee ones,” Jamie glared at Miles and Flora who shrunk behind their uncle, “I’m fine. Hazards of football are gettin’ kicked in the ankle every now and again. It’s plenty cared for and gettin’ better.” Truthfully, it was. Thanks to Dani.

This explanation seemed to appease them. Henry’s shoulders visibly relaxed and he pocketed his cell phone. Jamie released a sigh of relief while Mikey and Dennis joined the rest of the family in the foyer.

“I do have a favor to ask though.” She shifted her weight on her good foot due to her unease, “Would you mind if we borrowed one of the cars today? I can’t drive at the moment and Denny can’t drive a stick shift.”

“Why yes, of course.” Henry said with a genuine smile. He handed a set of keys over to Dennis.

“Thank you, Mr. Wingrave.” Jamie said.

“It’s no problem really and please, for the last time, call me Henry.” Jamie smiled and nodded in silence. She just couldn’t bring herself to drop the formalities. It never felt right.

The first inklings of impending dread began the instant the car engine sparked to life. It was a conditioned response, reinforced from years of the same dreaded routine week after week. Jamie once read about how cancer patients often start feeling nauseous in anticipation of receiving chemotherapy. Triggered simply by entering the doctor’s office. They associated the cold, sterile room with receiving the medication that made them retch their insides out. That’s how Jamie felt every single time they made this car ride. Nauseated in anticipation of what was going to happen next. The sickening feeling started with this journey but lingered throughout the day putting her in a foul mood. One she internalized and did her best to keep all to herself.

Thankfully her brothers were immune from this conditioning. Mikey was too young to fully grasp what was going on. He was their constant bundle of joy. Content with the fact that the three of them were all together. While Dennis remained unreadable as always. He never protested like Jamie wanted to, nor voiced his happiness like Mikey did. But Jamie knew Dennis had a rose colored view of their situation.

Jamie swallowed the bile in the back of her throat as they made the final right turn. Pulling into the parking lot of the women’s correctional facility. As they check in for their standing 10 o’clock visit, the receptionist gave them a weary look of recognition mixed with pity as he collected their cell phones for safe keeping.

The familiar icy chill ran through her veins when they were ushered into the visitation room. It was a bleak, unwelcoming chamber designed to discourage people from lingering. Jamie didn’t need reminding. She always counted down the minutes in her head.

They waited for a brief time before another guard escorted an older woman with ratty, unkept brown hair to their table. He unshackled her before retreating into the corner of the room to keep watch. She rolled up the cuffs of her orange jumpsuit and then rubbed the skin where the hand cuffs once sat.

“Hi mum.”

Dennis was always the first to speak. Jamie just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she focused on the bags under her mother’s eyes noticing the skin looked darker than last week. Despite her sunken cheeks and overall frail appearance she still held that shifty glint in her eyes. The one that made Jamie’s skin crawl.

“You look well. Turnin’ into a proper man before my very eyes.”

“Thank you.” Dennis preened at the compliment. Puffing out his chest, straightening his back, and broadening his shoulders. All to garner mum’s attention. He was successful for a few seconds as she beamed at him from across the table, but it wasn’t long before the inevitable pity party began.

“Seems all my children are gettin’ on without me.”

Jamie refrained from rolling her eyes at her predictable response while Dennis scrambled to quickly correct her. “That’s not true. We’re not a family without you.”

“Well not just any woman can replace your own mum.”

She stared at Jamie as spoke as if challenging her to disagree. Waiting for Jamie to talk back so she could pounce and toy with her like a kitten would a ball of string. When Jamie was younger, more naïve and hotheaded, she would have argued without hesitation. Her mother made it so tempting, but Jamie knew better now. She held her tongue along with her mother’s unwavering gaze. Eventually, the older woman averted her eyes for a second, landing on the pair of crutches leaning against the table. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Jamie’s stomach when her lips upturn in a smirk.

“Well, well. What have we here? Did my poor baby hurt herself? Such a shame it had to come to this. I’ve been tellin’ them all for years you lot can’t take care of yourselves. _Especially_ my daughter. This is why you _need_ your mum to take care of you. It’s what I keep tellin’ my case manager, but he won’t listen to a damn thing I say. Wish he was here to see ya now. Proof I shouldn’t be stuck in here when my poor baby girl needs her mum to take care of her.”

Jamie’s heart shattered like glass when Dennis quickly agreed. She couldn’t blame him for clinging to hope of having their family intact like it once was. Held together by tape with all the cracks barely concealed by the opaque adhesive binding them to one another.

The illusion of becoming one big happy family was a dream Jamie abandoned a long time ago.

She tuned out her mother’s pleas and misguided promises instead turning her attention to Mikey. He was sitting on her lap blissfully oblivious to what was going on. Intensely focused on doodling with the set of well-worn crayons the guards kept stashed away for him. Jamie was relieved he was drawing a picture of himself playing soccer and thankfully not one of the misfit Taylor clan. She continued to watch Mikey until the buzzer cried out overhead signaling the end of their allotted time.

Upon the conclusion of their visit, they were all permitted one hug each before the guard put the hand cuffs back on and returned their mother to her cell. Jamie always hated this part the most and wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about this as her brothers. Hugging her mother was performative. A formality of two beings holding one another physically close in a stiff embrace that somehow felt colder than the absence of physical contact. It lasted exactly three excruciating seconds before it was over.

On the drive back to the Wingrave estate, Jamie bit her tongue so hard she drew blood. Preferring to focus on the metallic tang on the tip of her tongue rather than Denny’s impassioned rant. It was the same sermon he gave every week. At this point, Jamie practically had it memorized.

She speaks up when Denny finally pauses long enough to take a full breath.

“I’ll call the mum’s case manager first thing tomorrow mornin’.” She feebly offered in an attempt to calm him down. Dennis huffed in frustration clearly unsatisfied with her response. There was a storm brewing in his eyes. His knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel.

“Are we getting mum back?” Mikey asked. The innocence in his voice shattered Jamie’s heart all over again. She swiveled her head to smile at him. She wanted to say yes and assure him everything was going to work out, but she couldn’t lie to little Mikey.

“We’re goin’ to try.” Jamie said mustering the most hopeful smile she could.

Denny abruptly slammed his fist on the steering wheel startling both Jamie and Mikey.

“Tryin’ isn’t good enough! You talk to that wanker every bloody week and nothin’ ever changes!”

“Hey! Watch your language in front of Mikey!” Jamie interjected.

“You can’t tell me what to do. You are not mum! Honestly, it’s like you _want_ her trapped in there so you can live out this sick fantasy of replacin’ her. We don’t need you Jamie. We need mum!”

The venom in his words stung Jamie more that it should have.

She wanted to reach out and comfort him. Tell him there was absolutely no truth to what he was saying.

But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t lie to Denny either.

Instead of defending herself, Jamie stewed in silence allowing the confrontation to fizzle out on its own. It always did.

Eventually, they arrived back at the Wingrave estate. Mikey’s face lit up the instant they parked the car in the driveway. He skipped to the front door happy to be home. The Wingrave manor was a warm and welcoming place, but it never felt like home to Jamie. The concept of _home_ was a foreign one. Rationally she knew it was a place where she should be happy. Somewhere she felt safe and well cared for. But she could never name a single house that fit that description.

Jamie was pulled from her pondering by the slamming of a car door as Denny made his grand exit from the vehicle. He stormed inside after Mikey, presumably to lock himself in his room. Isolation was his coping mechanism after their emotionally draining visit with mum. Jamie’s was action.

Normally she would physically work through her vexation by completing chores for the Wingraves followed by a grueling run upon returning to campus. Turning her frustration into energy that fueled her run and working her muscles to the brink of exhaustion helped make her stronger. Ready to face the next battle in hopes of emerging less weary than the last time. Unfortunately, her injured ankle kept her from exercising her Sunday ritual leaving her trapped with her thoughts and feelings.

Jamie spent the rest of the afternoon parked in front of the television entertaining the little ones and giving Henry and Perdita some alone time which they appreciated. Mikey won the rock, paper, scissors battle among the children which meant he got to select the movie. Naturally, he picked Ratatouille.

It wasn’t long into watching the film before Jamie’s thoughts drifted to Dani. Retreating to the safety of her memories from the prior evening as a temporary escape. She ached to hear Dani’s sweet melodic voice knowing without a shadow of a doubt it would chase away the demons wreaking havoc in her mind. Instead of calling her directly, she settled for the next best thing.

 **Jamie 14:17:** Hey Poppins

The familiar fluttering in her chest returned when her phone vibrates almost immediately after hitting send.

 **Poppins 14:18** : Hi! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today. Is everything ok?

It was a loaded question.

Jamie typed out “No” but then quickly erased it. She proceeded to write out replies only to immediately erase them. Over and over again. Unable to formulate an adequate response as she wrestled with her deep desire to confide in Dani and her looming fear that the truth would scare her away.

 **Poppins 14:20:** I’m really happy to hear from you. Just in case you had any doubts about that.

Her lips upturned into a smile from Dani’s sweet words of reassurance.

The racket in her mind faded into a distant clamor.

 **Jamie 14:22:** I feel better now that I’m talking to you.

It was the truth.

 **Poppins 14:23:** Making you feel better is just one of my many talents.

 **Jamie 14:25:** You are really good at taking care of people. Have you ever thought about going after a career where you could do that?

 **Dani 14:28:** Huh, I never thought of that. Did you have anything in mind?

 **Jamie 14:30:** Maybe you could be a chef. Keep the people fed and happy. Someone just said anyone can cook.

 **Dani 14:31:** Jamie… Are you watching Ratatouille without me?

 **Jamie 14:31:** Mikey insisted. Is that a maybe on the chef?

 **Dani 14:33:** Of course, he did. Please tell him I said hi. And no, I’m a disaster in the kitchen. The only edible thing I can make are Christmas cookies.

In hindsight, Jamie should have known relaying Dani’s greeting to Mikey would come with consequences. She barely got out the rest of her sentence after saying Dani’s name before he launched himself onto her lap. Demanding to talk to Dani himself and trying to steal the phone. By some miracle, Jamie managed to reason with him. He patiently waited, making himself comfortable on her lap, while she typed out his demand to Dani.

 **Jamie 14:40:** So, Mikey wants to talk to you himself… Do you mind if we call?

 **Dani 14:42:** Of course not :)

Jamie tapped the call feature and handed the phone over to Mikey.

Her heart practically swelled out of her chest watching the entire interaction unfold. From the way Mikey’s eyes sparkled with joy as he animatedly talked about his favorite parts of Ratatouille and how he was going to become the greatest chef in the world when he grows up to simply hearing Dani’s equally enthusiastic muffled replies through the phone as she eaves dropped over Mikey’s shoulder. She pulled Mikey into her chest. Delighting when his tiny body vibrated against hers while he giggled at something Dani said.

Jamie came to the realization that this was the most at peace she had felt all day. There was something special about Dani. Whether she knew it or not, she had this ability to save Jamie from her own darkness as if she was a beacon of light pulling her from the abyss of her own insecurities.

Dani was truly something else. Something unexpected, almost unreal.

Someone Jamie wanted in her life no matter the cost.

By the time Mikey finally relinquished the phone back to her, Jamie had convinced herself it was time to confess her truth to Dani.

“Is there any chance I can see you tonight for a spontaneous date?”

“Absolutely!” Dani replied.

“Great! There is somewhere special I’d like to take you where we can talk more privately. Could you meet me at the parking lot in front of the physics building around 8 o’clock?”

“I can manage that.”

“See you then Poppins.”

The smile plastered on her face after hanging up with Dani remained intact for the remainder of the day. Even Owen picked up on her change in mood when he came to collect her after dinner.

“Wasn’t expecting you to be so chipper this evening.”

Jamie laughed, “Ha, me neither. First time for everythin’ I suppose.”

Every fiber of Jamie’s being buzzed with nerves as they drew nearer to campus. She spent the entire journey trying to convince herself she wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. This optimistic outlook was marginally reinforced when she discovered Dani waiting for her at the rendezvous spot.

“I suppose there really is a first time for everything.” Owen commented with a heartwarming smile as he parked the truck. He waved at Dani, before exiting the vehicle to collect Jamie’s belongings from the flat bed.

Jamie released a shaky breath before opening the door to greet Dani.

“Hi Poppins."

“Hey you.” Dani said with a lopsided smile.

Owen handed Jamie her crutches and settled the remaining items on the pavement next to her.

“I’ll take the truck back to your flat. Have a wonderful night ladies. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He said with a wink before taking his leave.

Dani quirked an eyebrow. “Are we going to perform an experiment?”

Jamie laughed in response. “No. I wanted to take you some place special. It’s not far from here. Would you mind carryin’ the blanket and lantern? I can lead the way.”

Dani nodded yes.

Jamie lead the way as they traversed the length of the physics parking lot, continuing across the intersection. When they arrived at the entrance of the park, Jamie instructed Dani to turn the lantern on to guide them through the dark along the deserted paved path. After a few minutes, Jamie diverted their course down an unmarked dirt trail.

“Is this where you plan on murdering me?” Dani asked.

“Wasn’t plannin’ on it.” Jamie began, “but if I did try anythin’ funny you can definitely outrun me.”

They shared a quick laugh together. It wasn’t long before they arrived at their final destination. A secluded area carved out by bushes and a large, towering oak tree. Dani unraveled the blanket, laying it down at the base of the tree and placing the lantern at the far end. They both sat down, sitting side by side while leaning their backs against the bark.

Jamie swallowed the lump in the back of her throat, pushing herself to speak before she lost the courage to do so.

“I come here by myself when I need to get away from everythin’ and clear my head. It’s peaceful here. Completely surrounded by plants. All these living creatures that won’t talk back or judge you. They just sit still and listen to what you have to say. It’s comfortin’.”

Dani nodded along as she took in their surroundings.

“I’ve never taken anyone here before,” Jamie confessed, “but I didn’t want to come here alone tonight. That’s somethin’ new for me.”

Dani grabbed her hand, smiling sweetly at her.

“Just so you know,” Dani began, “whatever it is that’s bothering you, you can talk to me about, right? I may not be a plant, but I will listen to what you have to say. No judgement whatsoever.”

“I know.” Jamie says as she steels herself. She lightly squeezed Dani’s hand before continuing. “So, I’m just going to cut to the chase here. I like you. A lot as it turns out. And I feel like we could have somethin’ real. Somethin’ special. And I think you feel that too.”

Jamie’s heart pounded in her chest. Calming slightly when Dani nodded yes in confirmation. She averted her gaze from Dani’s piercing blue eyes, willing herself to stay her peace at not get lost in the depth of those cerulean orbs.

“Ok. Then before this goes any further, I think you should know more about me. About who I am and why I wasn’t around much today. If after that you feel this is too much, just tell me. We can call it quits now with no hard feelings between us.”

“Ok. I’m listening.” Dani said. Jamie mirrored Dani’s position, resting the back of her head against the sturdy bark.

“Ok, here goes.” She released one last deep exhalation.

“As far back as I can remember, Sundays were set aside for family. It was the one day a week dad was home from work for more than a few hours. We’d spend the day doin’ normal stuff like families do, but it all fell to shite when the recession hit. Money got tight which meant dad spent more time buried in his work tryin’ to make ends meet for us. Meanwhile mum found a new hobby. A way to keep her spirits up durin’ the dark times. Pills, booze, whatever she could get her hands on.

When dad found out what she was up to, he spilt. Final straw that broke the camel’s back I suppose. Mikey was barely two years old at the time. He doesn’t even remember dad now.

With dad gone, that meant our money supply was gone too. The honey pot ran dry. Like a hungry bear, mum went hunting. Found new honey. In all kinds of retched and despicable places. Brought a few of the low lives home with her a couple of times as she fell further down the rabbit hole.

Dennis wasn’t around much to see it. He would take off, stayin’ over with whatever friend would take him for the night. Couldn’t cope with why dad abandoned us. But I didn’t have that luxury. Someone had to look after wee Mikey. Kids can’t look after themselves. Hell, teenagers aren’t much better at that and neither are mums that aren’t mentally there.”

Jamie paused.

She didn’t even realize she was crying until she registered Dani’s thumbs brushing against her soggy cheeks. She closed her eyes, leaning into the touch as she collected her thoughts and steadied her breath.

“That wasn’t even the worst of it.” She continued.

“I came home from school one day to Mikey screamin’ his little head off. When I found him, he was soiled in his crib for who knows how long. After takin’ care of him, I went to find mum. She was lyin’ on the bathroom floor. Skin cold. Barely breathin’. But honest to god there were a few seconds when I really thought she wasn’t. And I was… relieved. It sounds so sick to admit that, but I was. For a brief moment she was out of her misery and so were we.

But we weren’t so lucky. None of us were out of the woods yet.

I made some calls.

Ambulance came. Then the police. Then the social workers.

Next thing we knew, we were all in foster care and mum was locked behind metal bars.

That’s when our Sunday family time became weekly trips to the local jail. Instead of hearty meals, we get empty promises that she will be out soon for good behavior. At first, we all believed her and had hope that we’d be a family again. My brothers still have it but, now that I’m older, I know better. As the eldest, I’m the one required to talk to her case manager every Monday to discuss the latest prison drug scandal she’s involved. Old habits die hard. Even in jail.

She is who she is. Nothin’ will change that.

So, it’s up to us to escape what should be long buried in the past. Move forward onto somethin’ bigger and better.

It wasn’t easy. The foster system isn’t kind. By some miracle, the three of us managed to stay together over the years, but it seemed no matter where we landed, there was always an issue. Mikey cried too much for their likin’. Denny was out past curfew once too often. I didn’t act enough like a proper lady.

The excuses for tossin’ us aside were endless.

Until, finally, the Wingrave’s took us in.

They’re a decent family that understands what loss means.

The children, Flora and Miles, had just lost their parents and their Uncle Henry wanted to give them a bigger family but he and his wife are unable to have kids of their own. So, in walked the Taylor bunch to fill that gap. With kids around his own age to play with, Mikey cried less and less. With a real parental team and not just an annoyin’ older sister failing at the role of mum, Dennis straightened his act.

It's so much better that anythin’ we’d ever had before.”

Jamie dared to meet Dani’s eyeline, drawing strength from her comforting presence.

“I should be able to breathe easy. Finally relax. But I can’t. Every day I’m just _waitin_ ’ for it.”

Dani’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Waiting for what?”

Jamie released a heavy sigh wiping the last tear off of her face. “The catch. I know we are one slip up. One mistake. One toe out of line from havin’ it all come crashin’ down like a house of cards. Crushin’ us all under the weight of it. So, I just keep carryin’ on. Doin’ whatever I can to be perfect. Avoid givin’ the Wingraves any reason at all to kick us to the curb. Everythin’ I do is for my brothers. So, they can have a fightin’ chance at a better life.”

There was a small pause as they stared at each other, searching for the next thing to say. Jamie had nothing left in her after pouring her heart out and laying everything on the line. She braced herself for the worst, an onslaught of rejection.

But it never came.

“No one is perfect.” Dani began. Her tone was unwavering, laced with compassion. “You try so hard to be and seem to put a lot of pressure on yourself all the time. Now I understand why you didn’t want someone like me distracting you.”

Dani concluded by untangling her hand from Jamie’s and slowly moving them into her own lap. The loss of contact sent an uncomfortable chill through Jamie’s body compelling her to instinctively reach out grabbing Dani’s retreating hand and firmly lacing their fingers together.

She brushes her thumb across Dani's knuckles as she speaks.

“You are a distraction Dani, but in the _best_ possible way. When I’m with you nothin’ else matters. I’m not stuck in the

past. For once I’m livin’ in the present and hopeful for a better tomorrow.”

Dani looked at her with an expression Jamie couldn’t describe. She tried to back pedal afraid she had crossed the line at some point during her confessions.

“Look if that’s too much I understand, it’s just-”

But Jamie doesn’t get to finish because Dani leans in and kisses her, cutting her off midsentence.

Jamie’s sigh is heavy with relief as she threaded her fingers through Dani’s lush curls, tilting her head slightly and deepening the kiss.

Dani is here, kissing her and not running away.

This is exactly where Jamie wanted to be. Safe in Dani’s arms, existing together in their own safe haven.

It was the first time in her entire life Jamie understood what it meant to come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recognize this chapter was waaaay different than all the other ones but it needed to happen. Hopefully, you still enjoyed it and like where this is headed now that Jamie and Dani have reached a much deeper place in their relationship (that still has no label BUT don't worry, we will get to that eventually).


	7. Infallible Instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucky number seven. (Call to title!)
> 
> ***Note the rating change***

Only seven days remain before this whirl wind of a semester finally comes to an end.

Dani was exactly one week away from her last final on Friday morning. All she had to do was stay focused until then. Afterwards, she would have the dorm to herself for two whole weeks while Hannah went home for winter break. It wasn’t much but Dani could use some down time after the hectic week she just barely survived. Between cramming for finals and tidying up her last-minute assignments she was academically spent. Clinging to the hope of a restful winter break was enough to get her through all the daunting hours of reading, memorizing, and learning left to go.

Thankfully her finals were fairly spread out giving her ample time between exams to pivot topics and focus on the tackling the next one. Needless to say, the stress was getting to her and she was very much in need of a break.

She’d spent the entire morning hunched over her history book doing just that in preparation for her first exam on Monday. By the afternoon, her eyes and brain cells were protesting. Dani pushed aside her history book after reading the same sentence three times without absorbing a single word. She rubs her eyes with her palms a few times trying to correct her now crisscross eyesight.

It seemed her roommate was also struggling to master the French language in preparation for her first exam. She was muttering at her desk with her eyes tightly shut. Eventually, she slumped forward in defeat with her head resting on the backs of her palms.

The pair decides to take a break venturing from their dorm in search of some much-needed caffeine.

The short walk in the cold fresh air was just the thing Dani needed to reboot her sluggish brain and body. She could already feel the cogs in her mind turning with ease once again by the time they arrive at the café.

Hannah opts for a jasmine tea, claiming she just needed a little extra boost to help her focus and didn’t want her caffeine jolt to keep her up all night. Dani on the other hand orders an extra-large dark roast deciding that retaining a semesters’ worth of knowledge was worth the risk of losing one night of restful sleep.

On the walk back from the café, Hannah and Dani manage to get onto the topic of their love lives. Hannah caught her up on how well things were going with Owen. From Hannah’s recollection of the relationship so far, things were getting pretty serious between them. They even solidified plans to visit each other’s families over the holiday break.

“Are you heading back to America for Christmas?” Hannah asked.

“Uh, no not this year. Can’t afford it this time.” Dani replies with a heavy sigh. It’s true this was the first holiday she would spend away from her family, but cost was only part of the reason why this was the case this year.

“Oh, that’s a shame.” Hannah answers casting Dani a sympathetic smile. Dani returns it then quickly averts her eyes from Hannah.

“Oh no, it’s ok. I’ll be heading back home for spring break. Booked those tickets well before…”

Before she broke up with Eddie.

Dani continues on, brushing past her increasing discomfort. “Well, any way I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet. Need time to clear my head. Besides Jamie is going to be around so I won’t be entirely alone. Don’t worry.” Dani concludes trying to reassure Hannah in the hopes of changing the topic all together. Luckily, this explanation seemed to appease Hannah. At least for the time being.

“How are things going with Jamie?”

“Great. Really great actually. She opened up to me about, well _everything_ , just like Owen said she would. And now that she has it’s like a seismic shift took place. She’s been so different, in a good way. Much more attentive and open about her feelings.”

Not to mention Jamie has taken her back to her secret garden since the previous Sunday night. It’s almost becoming their private little get away for just the two of them. Dani couldn’t fully describe what it meant to her for Jamie to share such an intimate space with her and her alone.

“I’m so happy to hear that. I mean, I figured as much since you haven’t been spending much time at the dorm. Day or night.” Hannah says with a cheeky smirk.

Dani’s cheeks burn at Hannah’s implications.

“Oh no, w-we haven’t… you know, yet.” Dani admits. She fights the urge to chew her nails, thankful she has a steaming cup of coffee in her clutches preventing her from doing that.

“Really?” Hanna asks as she unlocks the door to their dorm.

The pair enters the toasty room quickly shedding their extra layers. Dani moves to sit at her desk to resume studying and hoping this would be the end of the conversation, but it seemed that Hannah’s curiosity was bordering on concern.

“You two seem so into each other.” Hannah comments.

“We are. Attraction is not the problem.” She cringes the moment she says it.

Hannah’s eyebrows shoot up in surpirse. “So, what is the problem then?”

Dani blurts out the most logical explanation she could muster.

“Jamie’s ankle has been bothering her lately. So, we’ve been waiting for her to get better. She actually just got cleared for soccer practice today. Hopefully that goes well.”

“I’m sure her teammates will be thrilled. Maybe she’ll be well enough to play in the game next week.”

“Yeah, Jamie would love that.” Dani feels slightly bad for telling a half-truth bordering on a lame excuse to her best friend. She settles in her seat staring at her unopened history book.

“Seems like your problem is basically solved then.” Hannah says as she takes her seat in front of her own desk on the opposite side of the room.

“Yeah.” Dani sighs. She opens her history book attempting to read that blasted sentence that alluded her before her cup of coffee. Once again, she looks at the words. Seeing them but not actually comprehending them. Her mind was now very much preoccupied with something that has been weighing heavily on her for the past few days.

It wasn’t long before she began unconsciously fidgeting with her nails. Hannah must have noticed. She knew her too well not to.

“Unless Jamie’s injury isn’t the only problem… ” Hannah says.

It wasn’t.

“Do you _not_ want something more with her?” Hannah asked cautiously.

Dani laughs.

That definitely _wasn’t_ it.

Jamie was so unbelievably gorgeous in every sense of the word. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her hands off of Jamie. Especially now that Jamie admitted she really liked her and hinted at wanting something real when she was ready for it.

“No, I do want more. It’s just, _more_ is scary. I-I’ve only been with one person, you know, and he was, well a _he_. I’ve never done anything remotely close to sex with another woman and Jamie is clearly experienced in this department.” Dani releases a frustrated sigh and runs her hands through hair, fingers tugging at roots, “It’s just with Jamie everything is else going so well… What if I’m not good at this?”

“Oh dear,” Hannah begins. Her voice laced with empathy. “Dani you mustn’t think Jamie would leave you over something like this. That girl is clearly into you and I’m sure she’ll take care of you and guide you through it. But I suppose if you want to… be prepared, you could do some research and practice a bit. I mean, advantage of having the same parts, right? Wouldn’t hurt to start with something you like, you know?”

“I’ve never… with myself either, but I guess I could try that.” Dani says.

“If that’s not your thing then that’s ok too. If all else fails, when the time is right just…” Hannah tries to emphasize some gesture with her hands that Dani thinks is supposed to indicate sex. When she is met with Dani’s utter confusion, Hannah gives up her sapphic miming and just blurts out an exacerbated, “Give it a go! Let your instincts guide you.”

Dani sits with this. Mulling over Hannah’s advice for a few minutes before checking her phone.

“Speaking of Jamie, I promised to meet up with her in between class and practice.”

Dani drains the remaining contents of her take away mug before parting ways with Hannah. She leaves her dorm walking in the direction of Jamie’s marketing class.

All the locations of the entry level business majors’ classrooms were burned into her memory. This was thanks in large part to Eddie. He also happened to be a business major. Much of Dani’s first year at Bly Uni was spent following him around campus in between their classes. After breaking up with him, Dani used this knowledge to carve alternative routes for herself in order to navigate the campus without running into Eddie. So far, this strategy has served her well.

She takes the long scenic route, circumventing the entire business building as much as she could before beelining for the entrance to the economics wing. Making it all the way to room 305 without running into any unwanted people moments before the class let out. She leans against the wall opposite the door watching the flood of students rush from the class. Her heart flutters when her eyes lock with the stunning emerald eyes she was looking for.

“Well?” Dani asks after Jamie sauntered close enough to hear her speak over the stampede of students marching throughout the hallway.

“My group pulled off an A on our marketing project.” Jamie proclaims with a big smile.

“That’s great! Now _when_ you pass your final exam with flying colors we will celebrate. Somewhere, _not_ here.”

Jamie’s innocent smile morphs into her signature cocky smirk. “Poppins, are you asking me out on a date?”

“No,” Dani begins holding her ground, “I’m demanding you take me out on a date. I’ve honestly lost count of how many dates you owe me at this point.”

Jamie chuckles taking another step into her personal space. The seductive notes of Jamie’s pine scented cologne filling the little space between them.

“Demanding a date, huh? I’ve never had a girl order me to take her out before.”

Dani feels her face heating up as her confidence starts to waiver. She considers retracting her previous statement. Their canceled dates weren’t Jamie’s fault. Or anyone’s. They just happened. And Dani knew she shouldn’t take out her pent-up sexual frustration on Jamie of all people. She was so lost in thought, she barely registered Jamie’s hands wrapping around her waist. It was the deeper, rough tone husking along the shell of her ear that caught her off guard the most.

“Mmm, I like it when you’re in charge.”

Dani’s breath hitches as Jamie places a single open-mouthed kiss along her neck just under her ear lobe. It was a spot that drove Dani crazy and was becoming a new favorite spot for Jamie to kiss her. The wicked grin plastered on Jamie’s face when she leans back made Dani suspect she did it on purpose just to rile her up.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” Dani says with a shaky voice unable to conceal how flustered she was.

Jamie’s eyes light up with mischief clearly pleased with just how affected she was by this bout of flirting.

“You’re right. I’ll save if for our date. Next Saturday night? If that’s ok with you, boss?”

Dani rolls her eyes at Jamie’s cheeky smile and new pet name. She playfully pushes the charming soccer player away.

“I’ll believe Saturday night is a date when I see it with my own two eyes.”

Dani walks away towards the exit knowing Jamie will follow. Sure enough, she barely makes it into the stair well before a soft hand sneaks into hers and laces their fingers together.

They walk side by side in comfortable silence towards the football pitch.

“So, is there anywhere in town you want to go?” Jamie asks.

“For our supposed date?” Dani retorts.

“No, for our real date. Come on,” Jamie nudges Dani in the shoulder playfully, “There must be somewhere you want to go.”

“Anywhere and everywhere. All I know of England is limited to this campus and the ice cream shop you took me to.” Dani sadly admits.

Jamie stops dead in her tracks. Their conjoined arms cause Dani to jerk to a halt against her will.

“Really?” Jamie asks in bewilderment. Dani nods her head in confirmation.

“Now that just won’t do. There is so much to see and experience.” Jamie rambles on enthusiastically. Her excitement was adorable and quite frankly contagious. “I’d love to take you to London. Give you the full English experience. Oh, and the countryside in the springtime is somethin’ else. You’d really like it.”

Dani found herself completely elated by the fact that Jamie was mentioning future plans with her like it was no big deal. And she was happier still that she wasn’t freaking out about this at all, but rather looking forward to the possibility of spending time exploring Europe with Jamie in the future.

Dani tosses her free arm around Jamie’s neck and kisses her chastely completely swept up in the moment.

“I trust you to pick somewhere worthy of our alleged date.” Dani coos as she brushes the tip of her nose against Jamie’s thrilling at the at the bashful smile creeping out of the corners of Jamie’s mouth.

When she pulls back, Dani notices something she wasn’t expecting that causes a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

Eddie. Standing a few yards away looking directly at them.

Dani mentally chastises herself for carelessly lingering in business major territory. Too wrapped up in Jamie to notice the path they were taking.

“Dani?” Jamie asks. Her voice laced with concern. Eyes darting from side to side and eventually shifting away as she peers over her shoulder looking in the direction Dani was staring.

Jamie must have recognized Eddie because Dani feels the muscles in Jamie’s back tense up.

“Jamie…” Dani weakly croaks.

Eddie’s face contorts into a look of repugnance when he notices who Dani was just canoodling.

Fortunately, nothing escalates from there. Eddie quickly pivots on his heel and silently fumes away, but before his back is completely turned, Dani catches a glimpse of something resembling pain on his face.

The guilt of hurting her former best friend dwelled within her like an undercurrent. Witnessing his agony firsthand drudges all of those feelings to the surface. The pain she inflicted on him and everything she lost in the process was too much to handle all at once. She quickly swallows it down as best she can. Blinking away the newly forming tears in her eyes.

“Let’s um, l-let’s go. Don’t want you to be late for practice.”

Jamie doesn’t say anything in response. She simply nods and reattaches their hands, offering a comforting squeeze.

They resume walking in silence towards the stadium. After a few minutes, Jamie speaks.

“I don’t like being lied to, so I’m not goin’ to ask if you’re ok. Just know that I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”

Dani was too wracked with emotions to talk. She squeezes Jamie’s hand and continues walking. But she didn’t make it far before it all started bubbling back to the surface again. Despite her best efforts to push it all aside and to keep moving past it. She couldn’t. Not this time. Suddenly her feet stop of their own accord. Their tethered hands stop Jamie too. She’s met with a pair of concerned green eyes staring back, searching, and waiting patiently for Dani to finally speak.

“H-he was my best friend.” Dani starts.

“So, you’ve said.” Jamie says. She takes a step closer. Never letting go of Dani’s hand.

“I hate that I hurt him. You know? It just makes me sad. Really sad.” Jamie squeezes her hand. Dani takes comfort in the gesture. “Especially this time of year. We used to always spend Christmas together. And this is the first year we won’t. It’s like not spending the holidays with my family for the first time. I must sound crazy.”

“Not at all.” Jamie begins, “I’m sorry Dani. Sounds like you really lost a lot when it all ended.” Her voice was softer than usual and almost sounded strained. Like Jamie was taking on the emotional gravity of what she was saying.

“I’m not sorry for breaking up with him. It was time. More like long overdue.” Dani adds trying to reinforce the root of why she was upset.

“I know. I get that. Honestly, I do. You told me his lot was basically your family.”

Jamie gets it. Of course, she does.

“But that doesn’t mean you should have to spend winter break all by yourself.” Jamie adds with empathetic smile.

“I know and I’m not.” Dani says with a small smile, “You promised you were going to be around for some of it to keep me company, right?”

“Yes. I will.”

Dani squeezes Jamie’s hand. “Well then that’s good enough for me.”

They continue walking in silence. This time a more comfortable quiet.

“What if your break could be better?” Jamie abruptly asks as they round the bend towards the gymnasium.

“What do you mean?”

“Spend Christmas with me. I was plannin' on staying with the Wingraves for the actual holiday part of the break to see my brothers. You could come with me. If you want to. I know that sounds like a lot and maybe it is,” Jamie rubs the back of her neck with her hand as she continues rambling, “I just hate to think of you spendin’ Christmas all alone. So, maybe think it over and let me know if that’s somethin’ you might want to do.”

Jamie’s nervous, roundabout way of asking her to spend Christmas with her foster family and brothers was unexpected and completely adorable. When they stop in front of the gym, Dani leans in and kisses her on the cheek.

“You’re too good to be real I swear.” Jamie blushes at her comment causing that familiar fluttering sensation in her chest to emerge, “I’d really like to spend Christmas with you. A lot in fact.”

“Ok. Great. I’ll let the Wingrave’s know.” Jamie adds with that crooked grin Dani was so fond of.

Dani kisses her one last time wishing her good luck before Jamie heads into gym to get ready for soccer practice.

The grueling marathon of finals week began without a hitch.

Dani successfully made it through her first two exams and even felt pretty confident about the outcomes. She tried not to be too envious of her roommate who was finished with her finals by Wednesday afternoon and on her way home to her parent’s house by evening that same day. She simply hunkered down and remained focused on her last two exams. Thursday and Friday went by in a flash and before Dani knew it, it was all over.

No more books. No more papers to write. No more theories to memorize.

She was spent and exhausted, fully splayed out on her bed in her empty dorm, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Allowing all critical and scholarly thoughts to vacate her mind.

She was free to think about whatever she wanted.

So naturally her mind wanders to Jamie.

Unfortunately, Jamie was at practice right at this moment because, apparently, sports don’t let up even during finals week. She imagines Jamie was running right now. Working up a healthy sweat now that she is free to play again. Moving around the pitch and kicking the ball with all the strength of her muscular thighs. Trapping the ball against her chest allowing it fall past her toned calf muscles landing perfectly at her feet.

Dani didn’t last too much longer on this particular line of thought before she was completely worked up. Pondering about what she would like to do with Jamie off the soccer field. Quickly coming up blank, because she had no clue what to actually do with Jamie. She just knew she ached to do _something_ with her.

To her. From her. Just _something_.

She decides to take Hannah’s advice and do some research. She riffles through her streaming services looking for a suitable movie with queer lady content. She clicks the first one that sounds promising. About halfway into the movie, she turns it off. The only thing she learned by watching this abomination was that women who are into each other constantly eye fuck each other. And since she and Jamie had that part down all ready, she didn’t feel the need to keep watching this film.

From there she moves onto something a bit more to the point.

Porn.

Full on, one lady doing another lady, porn.

Turns out she’s a bit squeamish when it comes to this kind of thing. She slams the laptop shut before she sees anything remotely educational. She tries to relax and convince herself that when the time comes her instincts will serve her well. But she was still too warm _everywhere_ from mental images of Jamie frolicking around in her little soccer outfit.

She decides to fight fire with freezing cold water.

It doesn’t too long for her to realizes why taking a cold shower in the dead of winter is an insane idea. She quickly turns the faucet knob breathing easy once the temperature transitions to an appropriate temperature. The warm water cascading and trickling along her body was a welcomed refreshment. It was almost comforting. She melted into it allowing her thoughts from earlier to take root as she contemplates taking Hannah’s final piece of advice.

Needless to say, she felt _a lot_ more relaxed after that and even learned a thing or two of value.

For as long as she could remember, Dani has never been a morning person. There were few things in life she found worthy of getting up early for. Especially on a Saturday. But waking up to watch Jamie run around and play soccer was definitely one of them.

The bleachers were sparsely populated. Only die-hard fans, parents, and stragglers without winter break plans like herself were out on this sunny yet chilly morning. Dani took advantage of the array of options picking the bench closest to Jamie’s team. Giving her the best view of her favorite player stretching her toned muscles along with her teammates prior to the start of the match.

Dani nestles further into Jamie’s jacket, wrapping the warm fabric around her torso and inhaling the lingering evergreen scent as she watches Jamie perform warm up drills with Rebecca. She wasn’t afforded much time to marvel at the eye candy in front of her due to a familiar high-pitched squeaky voice calling her name.

She turns her attention towards the sound noticing little Mikey scampering across the bench heading straight for her. Dani immediately scoops him in up hugging him tightly.

“Hi Mikey. Are you excited to watch Jamie play?” Dani asks, untangling herself from his little arms.

He nods his head enthusiastically. “Yes! We all are!”

“Oh, is Dennis here too?”

“Yes! Everyone is here!”

Dani furrows her brows in confusion. “Everyone?”

She looks up from Mikey noticing Dennis approaching along with two adults and a pair of children she didn’t recognize.

“Mikey, you shouldn’t run off like that.” The older woman says. She had kind eyes and a warm smile.

“Yes, terribly sorry about that,” The older man adds, flashing Dani an apologetic smile, “He just ran straight for you before I could stop him.”

“Oh, t-that’s ok.” Dani says.

“Yeah, it’s ok Dani is my sister now. Jay said so. I hug Flora so I can hug Dani too.” Mikey reasons with the adults. A look of understanding flashes across their faces at the exact same time.

“Ahh, _you’re_ the famous Dani. Mikey and Jamie have told us so much about you.” The gentleman exclaims.

“All good things, I hope.” Dani adds nervously, darting her eyes between the adults trying to figure out if she was supposed to know who they were.

“Of course, dear.” The brunette woman begins, “We have been looking forward to meeting you on Christmas. How lucky that we got to meet you sooner.”

Christmas. Two adults and two kids. They must be…

“You’re the Wingraves.” Dani says, “Jamie has told me such nice things about all of you.”

“Oh yes, where are my manors! I’m Henry, this is my wife Perdita, and our niece Flora, nephew Miles, and Dennis and Mikey here whom you already know.”

After the formal introductions, the Wingraves and the Taylors decide to join Dani and watch the game together. Mikey insists on sitting next to Dani. Naturally, Mikey’s fascination with her sparks some kind of sibling battle between Miles and Flora over who gets to sit on the other side of Mikey’s mysterious other sister. They caused such a ruckus that Perdita was forced to intervene. The result was a compromise: Miles got to sit next to her for the first half and Flora for the second. Dani was flattered by the children’s’ attention.

The first half of the game was uneventful. Well, uneventful for Dani seeing as Jamie didn’t play a single second. She spent the entire forty-five minutes entertaining the children with various games that wouldn’t disrupt the adults. She was actually having a lot of fun with them. The time just flew by. Next thing she knew the game was tied 2-2 and the referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the first half. She was disappointed Jamie didn’t get to play yet, but she was hopeful Jamie would get her chance to contribute in the next half of the game.

Dani continues playing with the children during the half-time break. They commander the open grassy space adjacent to the stands and play a few rounds of tag to pass the time. Dani even gets grumpy Dennis to join in too. By the end, he was giggling along with the rest of them.

In the second half, the other team scores a goal much to everyone’s disappointment. But not long afterwards, Dani notices number 15 on the Bly Uni team taking warm up laps along the sidelines.

She points this out to Mikey who gets super excited watching his sister get ready to play.

They all stand on their feet and cheer when Jamie is subbed into the game. She high-fives the winded striker exiting the game as she dashes out into position. Dani is relieved to see Jamie running without a wince of pain as if her ankle injury had never happened.

Jamie doesn’t score, but she assists off a corner kick that ties the game and a cross-field relay pass to another teammate that scores the winning goal.

After the final whistle blows, Dani exists the stands and gathers with the rest of the Jamie groupies along the sidelines. The first player to approach them from the sea of white jerseys is Rebecca.

“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Wingrave! Thank you all for coming out to watch us play.”

“Of course, Rebecca.” Perdita begins with a warm smile, “You were amazing out there. You deserve to have a full crowd cheering for you every step of the way.”

“Thanks, you’re too kind. Seems the rest of the school didn’t share your love for us. They weren’t too keen on sticking around after finals just for us. Except Dani here.” Rebecca furrows her brows as a thought occurs to her. “Why are you still here, Dani? Shouldn’t you be halfway to America by now?”

“Oh uh, not this year. I’m going to have an English holiday this year.”

“Really?” Rebecca pushes, “With who?”

“With us.” Jamie says as she saddles up next to her teammate. She completely ignores Rebecca’s look of utter shock addressing her fans with curiosity. “What are all of you doin’ here?”

“Work finally let up enough of me to sneak away for the morning. The holidays truly are a magical time of year.” Henry answers.

Perdita quickly echoes her husband’s sentiments. “We didn’t want to miss your last game of the year. Plus, we got to meet Dani which was the highlight of the game. Especially if you ask the children.”

“She’s quite the charmer.” Jamie comments, smiling fondly at Dani.

She feels her cheeks flush from all the attention.

As the players and fans exit the stadium, Jamie hangs back for a little while longer to play soccer with the kids and Dennis. Dani watches on stealing glances at Jamie in between making small talk with the Wingraves. Her heart melts at how sweet Jamie is with the kids.

When it was time to go, Henry takes his leave to corral the children. Dani moves to follow him but stops when she feels a tug at her sleeve.

“You know,” Perdita begins, “we could hardly believe it when Jamie mentioned she was bringing someone over for Christmas this year. She never brings anyone home with her.”

Dani didn’t quite know what to say to that. She knew Jamie was always on her best behavior around the Wingraves, but she had no idea Jamie never brought anyone to their house before.

Thankfully Perdita didn't seem to notice she was temporarily stunned.

“We often get the impression Jamie doesn’t feel comfortable around us. We’d almost given up hope she would open up to us at all. But now, she’s much more… well, she just seems _happy_. Henry calls it a Christmas miracle. Bless the man.” She giggles wistfully while stealing a glance at her husband chasing Miles and Flora in the distance. Dani couldn’t help but glance over at Jamie, who met her gaze across the field smiling at her. Perdita must have caught this interaction because when she turns back around, she has a knowing glint in her eyes. “I suspect Jamie’s change in behavior has less to do with miracles and more to do with who she is spending her time with.”

Perdita lays a hand on Dani’s upper arm, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“Henry and I just wanted you to know that you are always welcome in our home and that we are really looking forward to spending Christmas with you.”

“T-thank you. I’m really looking forward to it too.” Dani says, meaning every word.

Later that evening, Dani arrives at Jamie’s apartment for their date. She feels a tad underdressed in her form fitting V-neck red sweater, the jeans that Jamie is obsessed with, and fuzzy lined boots, but Jamie assures her she looks perfect. Somehow Dani seriously doubts that considering Jamie actually looks perfect in her dark green button down that compliments her eyes paired with slim fitting charcoal slacks, a tasteful black belt, and her infamous chucks.

She chides Jamie about how clean the rest of apartment looks while her date tries to find her good coat in her disaster of a closet. Judging by the mountain of clothes on the floor, Dani predicts it won’t be more than two days before the flat is a complete mess now that Rebecca has gone home for the break.

All joking dies down when Jamie locates the item she was searching for. Dani was too preoccupied by how incredible she looked wearing that black leather jacket to recall what they were talking about before she put it on.

Jamie explains there isn’t much to do in Bly on a typical day, but the annual winter festival was something the locals looked forward to. The quaint little village they arrive at is dressed to the nines like an authentic Christmas town filled with brightly colored lights, mom and pop shops selling trinkets, a large lot for Christmas trees, an ice-skating rink, and of course, a Santa Claus with a line of eager kids patiently waiting in queue.

They decide to start with a bit of ice skating. Of course, there is a skill disparity between the two of them seeing as Jamie is actually athletic. Dani mostly just clings on for dear life, trying not to fall while Jamie glides their conjoined bodies across the ice. After Dani’s bottom is sufficiently sore and soggy from colliding with the ice, the two of them return the rented skates and make their way over to the wooden bleachers to watch the remaining skaters for a little while longer. They sit close with their shoulders touching. Jamie entertains her by providing hushed, colorful commentary while they people watch. Dani laughs so hard she is practically crying.

As time went on, the outside temperature drops. Dani shivers despite her extra layers including her puffy jacket, fuzzy gloves, and toasty boots. She didn’t mind it too much though. The frigid air was the perfect excuse to snuggle further into Jamie’s side as they meander through the festive town.

She proceeds to drag Jamie into nearly every shop they pass by. Searching for suitable gifts for Jamie’s family. Jamie patiently appraises each potential item Dani selects. Deciding if the recipient would like it and reiterating every time that Dani doesn't have to buy anyone gifts. But Dani insists none the less. It wouldn’t be polite to show up empty handed for Christmas. Besides, she was determined to maintain the good impression she has going with the Wingraves and the Taylors.

After finding adequate presents for all of Jamie’s family members, they make one final purchase, a steaming cup of hot chocolate, before moving on to another part of the village. They share sips of the warm sweet coco and take turns carrying the various tote bags as they look at the houses adorned with Christmas lights. It was peaceful and romantic. Walking at their leisure in the moonlight, sharing a drink, and stealing glances at one another in between scrutinizing the wide variety of proudly displayed Christmas decorations and ranking the houses based on aesthetics and overall effort.

It was all well and fun.

Until they arrived at the last house on the block.

An unexpected wave of homesickness washes over her as she stands there looking at the tiny house with the bright red door and brass knocker. Even the lights carelessly strung around the front bushes at the height of a young child was reminiscent of her childhood home.

The image transports back in time filling her with a distant, yet familiar sadness.

Jamie must have noticed her abrupt change in mood. She wraps her arm around Dani’s shoulders and pulls her in closer. Her presence gives Dani strength to draw from.

“This one. Reminds me of home- my home, back in the States. I used to put up the lights by myself as a kid. Hanging them off the house, wherever I could reach. It always looked like a mess. But I was always proud of it because I made it happen.” She sighs heavily. “Guess there won’t be lights this year. Never thought about that till just now.”

They turn around making their way back. Hand in hand.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t make it home this year.”

Dani shakes her head from side to side. “I didn’t want to waste what little money I have left to go back. I have no one there to see anymore. Maybe mom, but I doubt she will even be home. She works a lot, especially around this time of year. But even when she’s home, it’s like she’s not really there, you know?”

Jamie nods along in understanding.

“I was lucky to have my grandma growing up. When mom was working a double, or whatever it was she was doing that kept her from spending Christmas with me, nana was always there. She taught me to bake cookies. Her famous Christmas cookies. We made them together every year. Mixing the dough, cutting out the cookies, waiting together for them to come out of the oven, decorating them with icing and sprinkles. Then we wrapped them in these little tins she always had stashed away in the back closet. Then we passed them out to all the neighbors. It was our special tradition. It’s how we meet the O’Mara’s, come to think of it. When nana passed, they were the first ones to come see us, checking to see if we were ok or needed anything. The next year, I was at home all alone. Then they showed up. The whole family. That was the first year I spent Christmas with them. We didn’t make cookies that year, but the next year we did. Kept nana’s tradition going. Until now that is.”

“It isn’t too late to make them you know. In fact, I’ll bet your new brother Mikey would love to bake them with you.”

Dani let out a much-needed laugh, feeling better thanks to Jamie’s attempt at cheering her up.

“You’re right. We can do that this year. If it’s not imposing on any of your family traditions.”

Now it was Jamie’s turn to laugh. “Nah, only tradition we have in the Taylor family is spendin’ the day together. That’s it. Nice and simple.”

“Simple sounds really nice.” Dani admits.

“If you really fancy putting up the light yourself, I could even take down all the outside decorations the night before we arrive. You can have all the traditions you want, right here.”

The thought of Jamie, out in the cold, taking down hundreds of tiny Christmas lights and giant plastic reindeer just for her to enjoy the holiday was… too much to put into words. She’s never had anyone, friend or otherwise, display such acts of devotion designed solely to make her happy.

She tugs at Jamie’s hand. A silent request to stop walking.

Dani moves into Jamie’s space and captures her lips. The kiss was supposed to be chaste, but the emotional dam had been breached at this point and Dani couldn’t help but succumb to all buzzing energy coursing through her. Encouraging her to act. To anchor her free hand at the base of Jamie’s neck and deepen the kiss. To tug along Jamie’s waist with the other, pulling their bodies closer together. She only pulls back because she needs oxygen, not because she wants to stop.

“We probably shouldn’t do that here. There’s kids around.”

Jamie’s right. They shouldn’t be doing this here.

She leans in, whispering along the shell of Jamie’s ear. “Let’s go back to your place.”

Jamie looks dumbfounded at first, but a glimmer of understanding soon becomes evident in those dark green eyes.

“Are you sure?” Jamie asks breathlessly.

Dani doesn’t say anything. She grabs Jamie’s hand and leads her back to the truck.

There wasn’t a big sign indicating the time was right.

It had been an accumulation of events that made Dani decide that she wanted Jamie more than anything else she’s ever wanted in her entire life.

It was the way Jamie kissed her the first time they met. It was the way Jamie defended her against Eddie despite knowing absolutely nothing about her. It was the way Jamie checked in with her afterwards to make sure she was ok. It was the way Jamie was somehow always there when she needed her most. It was the way Jamie constantly helped her without being asked. It was the way she treated her brothers as if they were the most precious things in the world. It was the way Jamie welcomed Dani into her most private sanctuary. And the way she laid bare her soul without hesitation.

But most of all, it the way the Jamie constantly gave her a choice. Allowed her to put their relationship or whatever this was on her terms. Never once demanding anything from her. No quid pro quo. It was the way Jamie always asked what she wanted and truly listened that made Dani realize that she didn't want to wait. There didn’t need to be a mystical sign nor did the stars need to align in some astronomic ritual.

She was ready for this.

They barely make it inside Jamie’s flat before their lips are attached.

She was kissing Jamie as if she had been starved of breath and Jamie was the only source of air in the room. Their tongues meet. Tangle in a slick, easy slide that feels practiced, as though they've done this a thousand times before. Dani loses herself in the kiss in a way she never has before.

She barely notices Jamie walking her backwards until the flat of her back meets the kitchen wall. Jamie’s lithe and tone body engulfs her like it did the first night they met. That familiar warmth floods her system. The smell of pine shrouds her.

Dani is not in control when she removes Jamie’s jacket, sliding it off her shoulders without looking. Nor is she herself when she unbuttons Jamie’s shirt with shaky hands. Once she’s undone the last button, Jamie quickly shimmies out of it like the fabric was burning her skin.

Something takes over. Something primal. Powerful.

Dani gives it into it. Succumbing fully. Letting it guide her.

It leads her to the skin beneath Jamie’s shirt. Running her fingers along the newly exposed skin. It takes her higher. Caressing and squeezing Jamie’s chest over her bra. Relishing when Jamie arches her back in response and releases a heavy sigh.

“Dani.” Her thick English accent bleeding in, roughening the word.

The sound echoes. Reverberates within Dani’s body settling lower. Coaxing her into action.

Her instincts guide her hands lower. Raking along Jamie’s muscles as she descends feeling them twitch and flex beneath the pads of her fingers until she meets the hem of Jamie’s trousers and the cool metal of Jamie’s belt buckle. She undoes the metal clasp, tugging the leather until the latch is open fully granting her access to the final button and zipper.

“Dani shouldn’t we-” Jamie manages to say through gasps of air, but Dani cuts her off with a searing kiss.

“We’re doing this.” She barely recognizes her own voice. It was deeper, rough, primal.

Jamie doesn’t protest at all. She watches with dark, hooded eyes as Dani unbuttons and unzips the fly, tugging down the trousers until they pool around her ankles.

“I’m doing this.” Dani growls just before crashing their lips together. She swallows the muffled moan Jamie releases when she grazes her bottom lip with her teeth. Dani’s right hand wanders, slipping underneath the final barrier of clothing. Brushing past prickled skin, light tuffs of hair, and…

“ _Oh_ …” Dani gasps as she moves her fingers up in one motion along the damp, swollen flesh. “You’re… I mean you’re so… is this because of me?”

“Of course, this is because of you. This is what you do to me. Every time I think about you and me together, I-”

“You’ve thought about us? About this? With me?” Dani asks in disbelief.

Jamie moans as Dani continues her ministrations. She leans her hand against the wall next to Dani’s head.

“Mhmm,” She answers, eyes fluttering open and closing again. “I’ve thought about us.” Jamie chuckles as she releases another heavily exhale. “A lot.”

“What did you think about?” Dani swirls her index finger. Jamie’s eyes roll back. Her body sags forwards, leaning more heavily against the wall.

“Fucking you until the sun comes up. In my bed, on the couch, in the shower-”

“Yes, the shower.” Dani’s fingers move a little more forcefully as she recalls her own fantasy of having Jamie join her under the warm water. “What else?”

“I’ve thought about tasting you.” Dani gets a little too excited at this. Her finger slips and slides inside.

“Fuck.” Jamie groans through a strained exhalation.

Dani continues to explore the slick, warm muscles within. “You feel incredible.”

Jamie’s eyes flutter open then close again. “Mmmm, so do you.”

Dani can hardly believe she is doing this, and Jamie _likes it_.

She starts to move her digit in and out. It’s sloppy at first but she takes note of Jamie’s responses. The way her hips move to meet her hand.

Soon they develop a rhythm together. Jamie’s breathing becomes more erratic her movements jerkier and more desperate.

Jamie kisses her. Open mouthed and unfocused.

Dani does her best to stay in tuned with Jamie’s body. Moving faster.

Jamie pulls back, leaning towards her neck. “More.” She pleas through labored breathes

Dani doesn’t need to be told twice. She adds another finger.

“Fuck, yes that’s it.” Jamie mumbles, “A little higher too- mmmm, yes like that.”

Dani gets it. With the flat of her palm, she presses into Jamie’s clit with every thrust.

“Don’t stop.”

Dani doesn’t. She keeps going moving faster. Braving to go a little deeper each time.

Jamie reattaches their mouths again. Her fingers entwine and tug at Dani hair pulling her in closer deepening the kiss. Anchoring them together.

Then it happens.

The muscles around her fingers tighten and twitch and Jamie moans into her mouth. 

Dani relishes in the way Jamie’s entire body spasms. She reflexively reaches out with her free hand, wrapping around Jamie’s back to hold her in place. She looks on not wanting to miss a single second of Jamie coming undone.

The sight was utterly breathtaking.

Jamie leans her weight against the wall, breathing heavily as her aftershocks wear off. Dani holds her in place, feeling their hearts beat rapidly against one another as if they were trying to meet in the middle.

Dani retracts her fingers, wiping them against the front of her jeans not caring in the slightest what that might look like in the morning. All that matters was here and now. And right now, she just successfully got Jamie off on her first try.

When Jamie was finally recovers enough, she shifts away from the wall standing on her own two feet.

“Ok wow.” Jamie says breathlessly, “I wasn’t expecting any of that.”

“Neither was I. I’ve never done that before.” Dani answers honestly.

Jamie softly laughs. “Could have fooled me.”

“Really?”

Jamie smiles. “Mm hmm.” She mumbles just before peppering kisses on every sensitive spot along Dani’s neck. A pleasant shiver runs along her spine and Dani’s body starts to heat up again.

“I’ll get better with practice.”

Dani feels Jamie’s hands dance along the back of her thighs, “I like the sound of that.”

“Oh.” Dani yelps in surprise when a pair of strong hands beneath her thighs lift her straight off the ground. She anchors her arms around Jamie’s neck and wraps her legs around Jamie’s waist as Jamie moves them towards her bedroom.

“Better start now then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it good for you? Let me know in the comments.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story, yell at me to keep writing it on tumblr @Please-Return-to-Villanelle  
> OR leave a comment below.


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